Words do more than define and describe. Many also carry a feeling: praise or blame, warmth or scorn.
Key idea
Emotive words express feelings as well as facts. Loaded language uses those feelings to win agreement in place of reasons: the slant does the arguing.
Why it works
"The greedy owners jacked up prices" and "the owners raised prices" report the same fact. The first adds blame without adding evidence. If you agree with it, ask yourself whether you were given a reason or just a feeling.
Worked example: Neutral version
Rewrite neutrally: "The lazy referee blew another call."
- "Lazy" and "blew" add blame without evidence.
- The fact underneath: the referee made a call some fans disagreed with.
Answer: "The referee made a call that many fans disagreed with."
Worked example: Praise can be loaded too
"Our heroic volunteers gave up their whole Saturday for the park."
- "Heroic" and "gave up" add warm praise.
- The facts: volunteers spent Saturday working in the park.
- Praise is fine in a thank-you speech; it would be loaded if offered as a reason to fund the park.
Answer: Neutral: "Our volunteers spent Saturday working in the park."
Some words are loaded only in context. "Cheap" can mean a good price or poor quality. Ask what feeling the speaker wants you to have, and whether the facts alone would give it to you.
Common mistake
Thinking neutral words are always better. Feelings are fine in a speech or a story. The trouble comes when slanted words stand in for evidence. Check: if you swap in neutral words, is any reason left?