Overcomplicating Naming Leads to Chaos
TL;DR: Naming is hard, don't make it harder with unnecessary accidental complexity.
Problems
Unclear, misleading, vague, and ambiguous names
Redundant terminology
Confusing abstractions
Cryptic abbreviations
Solutions
Simplify naming conventions
Ensure consistency
Avoid unnecessary jargon
Use descriptive names based on behavior
Maintain consistent terminology
Context
Ludwig Wittgenstein argued that much confusion arises from language misuse.
This happens when you overcomplicate names, mix metaphors, or use inconsistent terminology.
When you name classes, methods, or variables without clarity, you create a linguistic maze that others struggle to navigate.
This causes bugs, makes maintenance harder, and leads to team frustration.
Sample Code
Wrong
public class AbstractDataHandlerManager {
private String dtStr;
public void execProcessingOps(String input) {
if (dtStr != null && !dtStr.isEmpty()) {
// process
}
}
}
Right
public class SETIProcessor {
public void processSignal(String input) {
// process
}
}
}
Detection
[X] Manual
You can detect this smell when names start to get long, or when you see "Abstract", "Manager," "Handler," "Helper", or "Data" too often.
Another sign is when you must explain what a name means to other developers for example in a code review.
Tags
- Naming
Level
[X] Beginner
AI Generation
AI generators often create this smell by producing verbose and generic names that attempt to cover every possible context.
They are experts in many domains and write code, but frequently they don't do both at once unless instructed.
AI Detection
AI generators can sometimes fix this smell with simple refactoring instructions like "simplify names" or "remove redundant terms," but struggle with deeper contextual understanding.
Conclusion
Linguistic confusion in code leads to unnecessary complexity.
Use clear, consistent, and straightforward naming to make your code easier to read and maintain.
Relations
More Info
Wittgenstein's concept of linguistic confusion
Disclaimer
Code Smells are my opinion.
Credits
Photo by Mimi Thian on Unsplash
The greatest enemy of clear language is insincerity.
George Orwell
This article is part of the CodeSmell Series.
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