A more formal term for ‘screwed’?

Question

I'm doing a formal writing essay and I'm using a phrase from an online source. The phrase is:

You’re screwed.

What is an alternative, more formal term I could use?

This sounds a bit like 'writing advice' which is off-topic here. But in any event *Your screwed' doesn't make sense. Perhaps it should read 'You're screwed'. I would also mention that your final sentence is full of errors. Try 'If not what's an alternative phrase I could use?'. — WS2, Mar 17 '15 at 06:51
Leonard from The Big Bang Theory: "attached to another object by an inclined plane, wrapped helically around an axis" — Jesvin Jose, Mar 17 '15 at 13:07
Note that if you're quoting an online source, you should leave the phrase exactly as it is. "In this story, Alice says to Bob, 'You're screwed.'" — Tanner Swett, Mar 17 '15 at 16:17
Can we get some more context? Who is screwed? In what way are they screwed? You might be better off formally describing exactly how the person is screwed. — Kevin Workman, Mar 17 '15 at 16:19
I'm sure you'd agree that royal occasions are formal. In which case, "you're royally screwed". — TylerH, Mar 17 '15 at 18:11
I think that "out of luck" is what you are looking for. It means that you have no way to solve a problem. — Francine DeGrood Taylor, Mar 17 '15 at 19:11
How about "you're SOL"? http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=SOL — Ellen Spertus, Mar 17 '15 at 20:31
If you are quoting literally (with quote marks around the text) you should quote exactly, even in a formal writing. "You're screwed," while rude, is not so offensive as to merit censorship in a quote. — Hot Licks, Mar 17 '15 at 21:37
And if you're quoting, and the source really does say "your", you should write "your [sic] screwed". — Hot Licks, Mar 17 '15 at 21:38
"Royally Screwed!" (What could be more formal than the king's court??) — Jaydles, Mar 18 '15 at 16:12

score 32 · Answer 1 · edited Mar 17 '15 at 10:14

32

First of all, it should be you're, not your.

You can use this more formal phrase: "You're doomed."

edited Mar 17 '15 at 10:14

Ellie Kesselman

5,992

answered Mar 17 '15 at 07:39

Zikato

1,426

9

"And you can use the more formal equivalent: You are doomed." (In formal writing, contractions tend to be avoided) – Mari-Lou A Mar 17 '15 at 09:46
3

Thanks, English is my second language. I'm always happy to learn. – Zikato Mar 17 '15 at 11:26
2

See-Threepio agrees; "We're doomed". – Mazura Mar 17 '15 at 22:49

score 22 · Answer 2 · answered Mar 17 '15 at 10:56

Fix your "your/you are" mistake and do not use contractions in formal writing.

The answer to your question depends on how strong your statement needs to be. You could use a mild version You are in trouble, or possibly you are out of options now. The already suggested you are doomed is a bit more dramatic. As a threat, it could be replaced by you are finished.

score 6 · Answer 3 · answered Mar 17 '15 at 13:48

That really depends on the context, and how the individual is 'screwed'. We can't tell you what word or phrase best replaces it, because this is not the place for writing advice, but we can give you some suggestions.

In the case that this person is 'screwed' because their plans haven't gone the way they want, or in the case that some fatal flaw has ruined their plans, you could say "you have been undone" or "you are ruined" to express that idea.

There is a problem with each one though; the former is a polite way of saying their plans have been actively defeated, while the latter suggests a general loss on the person, but could be a bit excessive for what you're looking for. So make sure you use these in the right context.

score 6 · Answer 4 · answered Mar 18 '15 at 10:12

6

In addition to the other suggestions, here are some alternatives in an approximate order of more formal -> less formal, at least by my reading

you've found yourself in a conundrum
you're in a bind
you're out of luck
you're at the end of the road
you're done for
you're dead
you're screwed
you're fucked

answered Mar 18 '15 at 10:12

Brandin

436

1

where would you place 'you're up shit creek and no paddle'? I would go for between 'you're dead' and 'you're screwed'/ – JMP Mar 18 '15 at 12:05
@JonMarkPerry "You're up shit creek without a paddle" or "You're up shit creek with no paddle" is what I would say, by the way, if I ever were to say that. It's definitely informal but sounds more like a joke. Only use it when the situation might call for a joke to lighten the mood. OTOH, "You're screwed." is not a joke. It's a direct assessment of a bad state of affairs. – Brandin Apr 15 '15 at 07:18
any relation to 'screw you'? – JMP Apr 15 '15 at 09:16
@JonMarkPerry Saying "you're screwed" is an observation (phrased in a rude manner) where you point out that the person is in a bad state of affairs. OTOH, telling someone "screw yourself" is a rude command that actively instructs someone to voluntarily subject themselves to conditions that would lead to a bad state of affairs (kind of like saying "Go jump off a cliff or something!"). "Screw you" is pretty much the same as "screw yourself", but it emphasizes "you" more strongly. – Brandin Apr 15 '15 at 11:16
I meant pronoun-verb to verb-pronoun plus major/minor tense/ad- alterations, but thanks for the info. Here's a good one:https://rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/59528/why-are-elves-immune-to-a-ghouls-paralyzing-touch – JMP Apr 15 '15 at 11:20
@JonMarkPerry The pronoun is not important. You can use any noun phrase. For example: "He's screwed", "She's screwed", "We're all screwed", "Bob's screwed", "Alice and Bob are screwed", etc etc. For the imperative varieties we say "Screw you!" or "Screw me!" or "Screw Bob!", for example. Or "Screw yourself, Bob!", "Screw the board of directors!", etc. etc. – Brandin Apr 15 '15 at 11:29
but you do we perform the transition from one to the other - is there a general rule? are they related? example: [Peter]Bob, go fuck yourself, [Jim] Oh look, Bob's fucked. – JMP Apr 15 '15 at 11:32
@JonMarkPerry I think this is another topic, maybe an ELL topic at that, but what you're talking about is the difference between a verb and a state (not sure of the proper grammatical term). E.g. I say "Turn the lights off." and you go and turn the lights off. Now, I can comment on the situation by saying "The lights are off." or "The lights have been turned off." This is a general pattern. If I tell Bob "Jump off a cliff!" and he actually does that, then I would say "Bob's jumped off a cliff." It works the same for the example you mentioned. – Brandin Apr 15 '15 at 12:20
so like 'you're beautiful', and 'beautiful you' - they mean completely different things? – JMP Apr 15 '15 at 12:23

score 4 · Answer 5 · answered Mar 17 '15 at 13:36

"In serious trouble" is a bit wordy, but gets the point across without breaking formality. "Doomed" might also work if you believe that there is well and truly no good way out of the subject's predicament.

If the goal of the statement includes humor, then you could try understatement by using something like "in a bit of a spot".

score 3 · Answer 6 · answered Mar 18 '15 at 10:42

3

If you are quoting from an online source, do not CHANGE any wording. The genteel way to quote it is

You're scr***d.

answered Mar 18 '15 at 10:42

Brian Hitchcock

13,674

score 1 · Answer 7 · answered Mar 17 '15 at 11:49

1

Depending on the finality of the statement, if the person is definitely 'screwed' with no chance of redemption, you could use you're finished.

answered Mar 17 '15 at 11:49

Mike.C.Ford

1,290

this phrase has already been suggested. – Erich Mar 17 '15 at 23:10

score 1 · Answer 8 · answered Mar 18 '15 at 18:04

1

What about:

"your future is bleak"

"you're in a dire situation"

"A negative outcome is ineluctable"

answered Mar 18 '15 at 18:04

jiggunjer

707

A more formal term for ‘screwed’?

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