Word of the Year/Day

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What’s Merriam-Webster’s word of the year for 2023? Hint: Be true to yourself

NEW YORK (AP) — In an age of deepfakes and post-truth, as artificial intelligence rose and Elon Musk turned Twitter into X, the Merriam-Webster word of the year for 2023 is “authentic.”

https://apnews.com/article/merriam-webster-word-of-year-2023-a9fea610cb32ed913bc15533acab71cc?

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? Revealed: Word of the year!

Image: Merriam-Webster via AP

Merriam-Webster's 2023 Word of the Year, announced just after midnight, is authentic. Why it matters: Authentic saw a substantial increase in online lookups this year, driven by stories and conversations about AI, celebrity culture, identity, and social media, the dictionary giant says. With the rise of AI "and its impact on deepfake videos, actors' contracts, academic honesty, and a vast number of other topics — the line between 'real' and 'fake' has become increasingly blurred," the announcement says. "We see in 2023 a kind of crisis of authenticity," Merriam-Webster lexicographer Peter Sokolowski told AP. "What we realize is that when we question authenticity, we value it even more." See the runners-up.

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? 1 fun thing: Word of the year

Image: Dictionary.com "Demure" is Dictionary.com's word of the year — a very mindful, very cutesy choice driven by TikTok, Axios' Sareen Habeshian writes. Why it matters: The adjective — traditionally used to describe a reserved or modest individual — has taken on new meaning this year to signify sophisticated appearance or behavior. Content creator Jools Lebron's viral video describing her "very demure, very mindful" workplace-friendly makeup and clothing now has 5 million likes. The term sparked a frenzy, with everyone from celebrities to brands seeking to hop on the buzzword bandwagon.

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Think ‘brain rot’ summed up 2024? Oxford agrees it was the word of the year

LONDON (AP) — Many of us have felt it, and now it’s official: “Brain rot” is the Oxford dictionaries’ word of the year.

https://apnews.com/article/oxford-word-year-brain-rot-b43d864aed7f7d9d039edbd9b8a19ffb?

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‘Polarization’ is Merriam-Webster’s 2024 word of the year

The results of the 2024 U.S. presidential election rattled the country and sent shockwaves across the world — or were cause for celebration, depending on who you ask. Is it any surprise then that the Merriam-Webster word of the year is “polarization”?

https://apnews.com/article/word-year-merriam-webster-2024-df39b7a3651f041ac6812155f1f67f45?

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? 1 for the road: Word of the day

Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios

Lyft CEO David Risher brought a colorful colloquialism to his second annual letter to shareholders: enshittification.   "It describes the ongoing degradation of a once-great product or experience, often in the blind pursuit of profit. Have you noticed that every website seems overrun with tacky ads? That you're getting less time to speak with your doctor? That your favorite pair of pants doesn't last as long as it used to? We all have." ? Between the lines: Risher — an alumnus of Amazon and Microsoft, with an undergraduate degree in comparative literature and a Harvard MBA — channels the spirit of "Smart Brevity" by pointing out a reality that Roy, Jim and I have discovered over 18 years of building three companies: The default human instinct is to try to solve problems by adding rather than fixing. More people, more time, more resources — rather than making a tough decision. ? "Additive bias": "This phenomenon is insidious, with multiple causes," Risher writes as he touts "best-ever results in 2024." "For one thing, additive bias is real: As human beings, we have a tendency to solve problems or try to attract new customers by adding things rather than taking them away." "That's why businesses are constantly releasing products or features of dubious value ... Add to that a quarterly earnings drumbeat that focuses attention on the short term, and the temptation to focus more on your competitor than your customer. Together, all of these factors produce a gravitational pull in the wrong direction." The bottom line: Like Elphaba in "Wicked," Risher adds, "we have the power to defy gravity — if we start with service." ? Got a favorite example of enshittification, or a clever synonym? Drop me a line, and I'll share some of the most interesting & illuminating responses: mike@axios.com. Read David's letter ...

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? 1 for the road: Word of the year

Image: Oxford University Press/Instagram

"Rage bait" is Oxford University Press' word of the year, Axios' Rebecca Falconer writes. (n.) Online content deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage by being frustrating, provocative, or offensive, typically posted in order to increase traffic to or engagement with a particular web page or social media account. The term has seen a "three-fold increase in usage" over the past year, according to the publisher. Keep reading.

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‘Rage bait’ named Oxford University Press word of year as outrage fuels social media traffic in 2025

LONDON (AP) — Oxford University Press has named “rage bait’’ as its word of the year, capturing the internet zeitgeist of 2025.

https://apnews.com/article/oxford-word-rage-bait-biohack-aura-farming-205cad01227a75198aaebdea02f6409b?

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? Workplace word of the year

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

"Fatigue" is online career platform Glassdoor's word of the year, Axios' Emily Peck writes. Why it matters: Anxious about keeping jobs, people are burning out. Mentions of "fatigue" were up 41% this year in posts, comments and reviews on the jobs site.

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Merriam-Webster’s 2025 word of the year is ‘slop’

Creepy, zany and demonstrably fake content is often called “slop.” The word’s proliferation online, in part thanks to the widespread availability of generative artificial intelligence, landed it Merriam-Webster’s 2025 word of the year.

https://apnews.com/article/merriam-webster-dictionary-word-year-2025-slop-2dffb2379cac6001aa30e148669e3393?

? 1 for the road: Word of the year

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios Merriam-Webster's 2025 word of the year: "slop." ? Those four little letters capture the tsunami of low-quality content inundating online life and corroding reality, Axios' Avery Lotz writes. Merriam-Webster defines "slop" as "digital content of low quality that is produced usually in quantity by means of artificial intelligence." ? Says the dictionary publisher: "The word sends a little message to AI: When it comes to replacing human creativity, sometimes you don't seem too superintelligent." Other trending words and phrases in 2025: "gerrymander," "touch grass," "tariff" and — of course — "six seven." Go deeper.