The phrase in terms of is usually wordy for in or for. It works well when used to mean measured in units of or expressed by means of, but in most other cases in terms of could be shortened to a single word.
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“In terms of” is pure filler, or “fluff”
“In terms of” is spreading like a mind virus throughout the media and more problematically throughout the education system. This, from a teacher of advanced english: “…in terms of if you want to use the prescribed text, you can!”
It is effectively deleting and replacing an extensive list of phrases and is almost always used incorrectly. “in terms of’, as mentioned above, is a mathematical phrase, as in “express X in terms of Y” but people use it to mean a whole range of things, most commonly “on the subject of” or “in relation to” etc. We are losing all subtlety as everyone tries to sound smarter but actually end up exposing their stupidity. it just sounds pretentious on one hand and dumb on the other.
Here is a list I have compiled of possible correct phrases to use, instead of the incorrect “in terms of”:
with regard to
regarding
in relation to
from the perspective of
considering
about
around
of
in
over
from
from which
in and of
specifically
inasmuch as
when you consider
in connection with
as far as
factoring in
taking into account
concerning
as to
as with
as in
in respect of
with reference to
in the matter of
in the way of
in and around
to the extent that
when it comes to
on the basis of
nothing (just don’t say it)