Minor differences: Use vs. Utilize

In the course of the past few weeks, I have considered changing the tone of this blog a very little bit. I understand I seem more than a little bit snobby, so in an effort to avoid alienating you dear readers, I am going to attempt to ease up on the elitism.
However, still expect engaging discussions about grammar and its nuances. Without further ado, let’s tackle a question that’s been on my mind for a while: use vs. utilize.

Definitions (According to Merriam-Webster)
Utilize: to make use: turn to practical use or account
Use: the act or practice of employing something

Of course, most writing guides advise people to avoid the use of “utilize.” A three-syllable word vs. a one-syllable word doesn’t seem to require a lot consideration. Shorter is generally better, but “use” doesn’t sound better, or at least to the untrained ear that is.

The reception of the trained ear

When I hear the word "utilize" I think someone is trying to say “use,” but that person may be unaware of the connotations of the word.
See professionals in the writing field find “utilize” pretentious in all the wrong ways. It commonly functions in the same way as “use” but it requires more letters and sounds to make.
”Utilize”, and the people who use it without cause, tries hard to sound smarter than it actually it is. It seems like a normal man donning glass he doesn’t need to appear smarter than he actually is.
The question then is, why use glasses if you don’t need them? Why use “utilize” when you can use “use”?

The problem with deception

I enjoy a good deception as much as the next person. I mean if such a deception wins a person the affection of other people, why not use a crafty deception? If that cute girl in the coffee shop loves men with glasses, why not wear the unneeded glasses?
And if a job asks for an established writer, why not use a word that seems to be in the vocabulary of a professional writer?
The problem, as I described earlier, is that the deception is severely limited in its deception as most trained writers scoff at the use of the word.

The correct use of "Utilize"

One, at this point, might question the need of “utilize” at all then. It’s more cumbersome than “use” and it means the same thing, so why bother? Actually, “utilize” has an established meaning.
According to the Oxford dictionary, Scientists use it to mean to “make practical and effective use of something”, so your body utilizes Vitamin C to take advantage of iron in your system (Thanks to the Oxford dictionary for the sample too).
So there’s a time and place for everything.

Solutions to avoid overuse

If you’re a scientist, use it: Do you have a degree in some form of science? Are you writing a scientific paper? Go ahead and use “utilize.” Otherwise, chop it out of your language.

Say it out loud every time you write “utilize”: Your annoyance at saying the word out loud will drive you to drop the word from your vocabulary eventually. In doing so, you put yourself in the position of the reader, and that’s something all writers need to do.

Again, that’s it. Hang with me as I struggle with perfecting this new format. I may go back to the old elitist format next week depending on this one’s reception.