The word(s) of the year, sometimes capitalized as "Word(s) of the Year" and abbreviated "WOTY" (or "WotY"), refers to any of various assessments as to the most important word(s) or expression(s) in the

public sphere The public sphere (german: Öffentlichkeit) is an area in social life where individuals can come together to freely discuss and identify societal problems, and through that discussion influence political action. A "Public" is "of or concerning the ...

during a specific year. The German tradition, '' Wort des Jahres'' was started in 1971. The

American Dialect Society The American Dialect Society (ADS), founded in 1889, is a learned society "dedicated to the study of the English language in North America, and of other languages, or dialects of other languages, influencing it or influenced by it." The Society ...

's Word of the Year is the oldest English-language version, and the only one that is announced after the end of the calendar year, determined by a vote of independent

linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...

s, and not tied to commercial interest. However, various other organizations also announce Words of the Year for a variety of purposes.

American Dialect Society

Since 1990, the

(ADS) has designated one or more words or terms to be the "Word of the Year" in the United States * 1990: ''bushlips'' (similar to "

bullshit ''Bullshit'' (also ''bullshite'' or ''bullcrap'') is a common English expletive which may be shortened to the euphemism ''bull'' or the initialism B.S. In British English, "bollocks" is a comparable expletive. It is mostly a slang term and a ...

" – stemming from President George H. W. Bush's 1988 "

Read my lips: no new taxes "Read my lips: no new taxes" is a phrase spoken by American presidential candidate George H. W. Bush at the 1988 Republican National Convention as he accepted the nomination on August 18. Written by speechwriter Peggy Noonan, the line was the mo ...

" broken promise) * 1991: ''

mother of all A snowclone is a cliché and phrasal template that can be used and recognized in multiple variants. The term was coined as a neologism in 2004, derived from Journalese, journalistic clichés that referred to the number of Inuit words for snow. ...

'' (as in

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein ( ; ar, صدام حسين, Ṣaddām Ḥusayn; 28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003. A leading member of the revolutio ...

's foretold " Mother of all battles") * 1992: ''

Not! ... Not! is a grammatical construction in the English language used as a function word to make negative a group of words or a word. It became a sardonic catchphrase in North America and elsewhere in the 1990s. A declarative statement is made, ...

'' (meaning "just kidding") * 1993: '' information superhighway'' * 1994: ''

cyber Cyber may refer to: Computing and the Internet * ''Cyber-'', from cybernetics, a transdisciplinary approach for exploring regulatory and purposive systems Crime and security * Cyber crime, crime that involves computers and networks ** Conventi ...

'', '' morph'' (to change form) * 1995: '' web'' and ''(to) newt'' (to act aggressively as a newcomer, like Speaker Newt Gingrich during the

Contract with America The Contract with America was a legislative agenda advocated for by the Republican Party during the 1994 congressional election campaign. Written by Newt Gingrich and Dick Armey, and in part using text from former President Ronald Reagan's 19 ...

) * 1996: ''mom'' (as in "

soccer mom The term soccer mom broadly refers to an American, middle-class, suburban woman who spends a significant amount of her time transporting her school-age children to youth sporting events or other activities, whether or not they are soccer relat ...

") * 1997: '' millennium bug'' * 1998: ''e-'' (as in "e-mail" or "

e-commerce E-commerce (electronic commerce) is the activity of electronically buying or selling of products on online services or over the Internet. E-commerce draws on technologies such as mobile commerce, electronic funds transfer, supply chain managem ...

") * 1999: ''

Y2K The year 2000 problem, also known as the Y2K problem, Y2K scare, millennium bug, Y2K bug, Y2K glitch, Y2K error, or simply Y2K refers to potential computer errors related to the formatting and storage of calendar data for dates in and after ...

'' * 2000: '' chad'' (from the 2000 presidential election controversy in Florida) * 2001: ''

9-11 The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...

'' * 2002: ''

weapons of mass destruction A weapon of mass destruction (WMD) is a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or any other weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to numerous individuals or cause great damage to artificial structures (e.g., buildings), natu ...

'' (WMD) * 2003: '' metrosexual'' * 2004: ''

red state Starting with the 2000 United States presidential election, the terms "red state" and "blue state" have referred to U.S. states whose voters vote predominantly for one party — the Republican Party in red states and the Democratic Party in b ...

'', ''blue state'', ''

purple state Starting with the 2000 United States presidential election, the terms "red state" and "blue state" have referred to U.S. states whose voters vote predominantly for one party — the Republican Party in red states and the Democratic Party in b ...

'' (from the 2004 United States presidential election) * 2005: ''

truthiness Truthiness is the belief or assertion that a particular statement is true based on the intuition or perceptions of some individual or individuals, without regard to evidence, logic, intellectual examination, or facts. Truthiness can range from i ...

'' (popularized on ''

The Colbert Report ''The Colbert Report'' ( ) is an American late-night talk and news satire television program hosted by Stephen Colbert that aired four days a week on Comedy Central from October 17, 2005, to December 18, 2014, for 1,447 episodes. The show fo ...

'') * 2006: ''

plutoed The International Astronomical Union (IAU) defined in August 2006 that, in the Solar System, a ''planet'' is a celestial body that: # is in orbit around the Sun, # has sufficient mass to assume hydrostatic equilibrium (a nearly round shape), an ...

'' (demoted or devalued, as happened to the former planet Pluto) * 2007: '' subprime'' (an adjective used to describe a risky or less than ideal loan, mortgage, or investment) * 2008: ''

bailout A bailout is the provision of financial help to a corporation or country which otherwise would be on the brink of bankruptcy. A bailout differs from the term ''bail-in'' (coined in 2010) under which the bondholders or depositors of global sys ...

'' (in the specific sense of the rescue by the government of companies on the brink of failure, including large players in the banking industry) * 2009: '' tweet'' (a short, timely message sent via the Twitter.com service, and verb, the act of sending such a message) * 2010: '' app'' (an abbreviated form of application, a software program for a computer or phone operating system) * 2011: '' occupy'' (verb or noun inspired from the Occupy movements of 2011) * 2012: '' hashtag'' (a word or phrase preceded by a hash symbol (#), used on Twitter to mark a topic or make a commentary) * 2013: ''because'' introducing a noun, adjective, or other part of speech (e.g., "because reasons," "because awesome"). * 2014: '' #blacklivesmatter'': hashtag used as protest over blacks killed at the hands of police (esp. Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner in Staten Island, New York). * 2015: Singular ''they'' (as a gender-neutral pronoun, especially for

non-binary Non-binary and genderqueer are umbrella terms for gender identities that are not solely male or femaleidentities that are outside the gender binary. Non-binary identities fall under the transgender umbrella, since non-binary people typically ...

gender identities) * 2016: ''

dumpster A dumpster is a movable waste container designed to be brought and taken away by a special collection vehicle, or to a bin that a specially designed garbage truck lifts, empties into its hopper, and lowers, on the spot. The word is a generic t ...

fire'' (an exceedingly disastrous or chaotic situation) * 2017: ''

fake news Fake news is false or misleading information presented as news. Fake news often has the aim of damaging the reputation of a person or entity, or making money through advertising revenue.Schlesinger, Robert (April 14, 2017)"Fake news in reality ...

'' (disinformation or falsehoods presented as real news or actual news that is claimed to be untrue) * 2018: '' tender age shelter'' (a euphemism for facilities in which children of asylum seekers are detained by government officials) * 2019: ''(my) pronouns'', as used in the context of introducing the correct third-person pronouns to refer to an individual. * 2020: ''

Covid Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

'', referring to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. * 2021: ''

insurrection Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...

'', referring to the January 6 attacks on the US Capitol. At the end of each decade, the society also chooses a Word of the Decade: '' web'' for the 1990s, ''

google Google LLC () is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company focusing on Search Engine, search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, software, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, ar ...

'' (as a verb) for the 2000s, and singular ''they'' for the 2010s. In 2000, ''

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

'' was selected as "Word of the 20th Century", and ''

she She most commonly refers to: *She (pronoun), the third person singular, feminine, nominative case pronoun in modern English. She or S.H.E. may also refer to: Literature and films *'' She: A History of Adventure'', an 1887 novel by H. Rider Hagga ...

'' as "Word of the Past Millennium".

Selection

Other candidates for "Word of the Year" have included: * 2006: ''Plutoed'' beat " climate canary" (something whose poor health indicates a looming environmental catastrophe) in a run-off vote for the 2006 word of the year. Other words in the running were '' flog'' (an advertisement disguised as a blog or web log), The Decider (a political catchphrase said by former United States President George W. Bush), "prohibited liquids" (fluids that cannot be transported by passengers on airplanes), and macaca (an American citizen treated as an alien) * 2007: Among the contenders were ''green-'' (a designation of environmental concern, as in

greenwashing Greenwashing (a compound word modeled on " whitewash"), also called "green sheen", is a form of advertising or marketing spin in which green PR and green marketing are deceptively used to persuade the public that an organization's products, aim ...

), ''surge'' (an increase in troops in a war zone, as in the

Iraq War troop surge of 2007 The Iraq War troop surge of 2007, commonly known as the troop surge, or simply the surge, refers to the George W. Bush administration's 2007 increase in the number of U.S. military combat troops in Iraq in order to provide security to Baghdad an ...

), Facebook (all parts of speech),

waterboarding Waterboarding is a form of torture in which water is poured over a cloth covering the face and breathing passages of an immobilized captive, causing the person to experience the sensation of drowning. In the most common method of waterboard ...

(an interrogation technique in which the subject is immobilized and doused with water to simulate drowning), ''Googlegänger'' (a

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsDoppelgänger, meaning a person with your name who shows up when you google yourself), and ''wide stance'', "to have a —" (to be hypocritical or to express two conflicting points of view, in reference to Senator

Larry Craig Lawrence Edwin Craig (born July 20, 1945) is an American retired politician from the state of Idaho. A Republican, he served 18 years in the United States Senate (1991–2009), preceded by 10 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, repres ...

after his 2007 arrest at an airport) * 2010: ''Nom'' lost in a run-off with ''app'' * 2011: ''99%, 99 percenters'' and the acronym ''FoMO'' ( fear of missing out) lost in a run-off with ''occupy'' * 2012: Other nominees were '' YOLO'' (an acronym for "You Only Live Once," often used sarcastically or self-deprecatingly), ''

fiscal cliff The United States fiscal cliff refers to the combined effect of several previously-enacted laws that came into effect simultaneously in January 2013, increasing taxes and decreasing spending. The Bush tax cuts of 2001 and 2003, which had been e ...

'' (the threat of spending cuts and tax increases looming over end-of-year budget negotiations), ''Gangnam style'' (the trendy style of

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...

Gangnam District Gangnam District ( ; , ) is one of the 25 local government districts which make up the city of Seoul, South Korea. Gangnam translates to "South of the ( Han) River". Gangnam District is the third largest district in Seoul, with an area of . ...

, as used in the Korean pop song of the same name), ''

marriage equality Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting ...

'' (legal recognition of same-sex marriage), and '' 47 percent'' (a claimed portion of the population that does not pay federal income tax). * 2013: ''slash'': used as a coordinating conjunction to mean "and/or" (e.g., "come and visit slash stay") or "so" ("I love that place, slash can we go there?"), '' twerk'': A mode of dance that involves vigorous booty-shaking and booty-thrusting, usually with the feet planted, ''

Obamacare The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially known as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Pres ...

'': term for the Affordable Care Act that has moved from pejorative to matter-of-fact shorthand and ''

selfie A selfie () is a self-portrait photograph, typically taken with a digital camera or smartphone, which may be held in the hand or supported by a selfie stick. Selfies are often shared on social media, via social networking services such as ...

'': a photo taken of oneself, typically with a smartphone and shared on social media. * 2014: ''bae'': a sweetheart or romantic partner, '' columbusing'': cultural appropriation, especially the act of a white person claiming to discover things already known to minority cultures, ''even'': deal with or reconcile difficult situations or emotions (from "I can't even"), ''

manspreading "Manspreading" or "man-sitting" is a pejorative neologism referring to the practice of men sitting in public transport with legs wide apart, thereby covering more than one seat.Cathy YoungManspreading'? But women hog subway space, too" ''Newsda ...

'': of a man, to sit with one's legs wide on public transit in a way that blocks other seats.

Categories

In addition to the "Word of the Year", the society also selects words in other categories that vary from year to year:

Most useful

* 2008: ''

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...

'' (specifically, the use of both names as combining forms, such as '' ObamaMania'' or ''

'') * 2009: ''

fail Failure is the state or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, and may be viewed as the opposite of success. The criteria for failure depends on context, and may be relative to a particular observer or belief system. One ...

'' (noun or interjection used when something is egregiously unsuccessful) * 2010: ''nom'' (

onomatopoetic Onomatopoeia is the process of creating a word that phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound that it describes. Such a word itself is also called an onomatopoeia. Common onomatopoeias include animal noises such as ''oink'', ''m ...

form connoting eating, esp. pleasurably) * 2011: ''

humblebrag Harris Lee Wittels (April 20, 1984 – February 19, 2015) was an American comedian. He was a writer for ''The Sarah Silverman Program'', a writer and executive producer for '' Parks and Recreation'', and a recurring guest on ''Comedy Bang! Bang!' ...

'' (expression of false humility, especially by celebrities on Twitter) * 2012: ''-(po)calypse, -(ma)geddon'' (

hyperbolic Hyperbolic is an adjective describing something that resembles or pertains to a hyperbola (a curve), to hyperbole (an overstatement or exaggeration), or to hyperbolic geometry. The following phenomena are described as ''hyperbolic'' because they ...

combining forms for various catastrophes) * 2013: ''because'' introducing a noun, adjective, or other part of speech (e.g., "because reasons," "because awesome"). * 2014: ''even'' (deal with or reconcile difficult situations or emotions, from "I can't even") *2015: ''they'' (gender-neutral singular pronoun for a known person, particularly as a non-binary identifier) *2016: ''gaslight'' (psychologically manipulate a person into questioning their own sanity) *2017: ''die by suicide'' (a variant of "to commit suicide" that does not suggest a criminal act)

Most creative

* 2008: ''recombobulation area:'' an area at

General Mitchell International Airport Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport is a civil–military airport south of downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States., effective May 21, 2020. It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Air ...

in which passengers that have passed through security screening can get their clothes and belongings back in order. * 2009: ''Dracula sneeze:'' covering one's mouth with the crook of one's elbow when sneezing, seen as similar to popular portrayals of the vampire Dracula, in which he hides the lower half of his face with a cape. * 2010: ''prehab:'' preemptive enrollment in a rehab facility to prevent relapse of an abuse problem. * 2011: ''Mellencamp:'' a woman who has aged out of being a " cougar", named after

John Cougar Mellencamp John J. Mellencamp (born October 7, 1951), previously known as Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for his catchy brand of heartland rock, which emphasizes traditional instrument ...

. * 2012: ''gate lice:'' airline passengers who crowd around a gate, waiting to board. * 2013: ''

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive ...

'': to misrepresent oneself online, especially as part of a romantic deception. * 2014: ''columbusing'': cultural appropriation, especially the act of a white person claiming to discover things already known to minority cultures. * 2015: ''ammosexual'': someone who loves firearms in a fetishistic manner. *2016: ''laissez-fairydust:'' magical effect brought upon by laissez-faire economics.

Most unnecessary

* 2008: ''moofing'' (a PR firm-created term for working on the go with a laptop and cell phone) * 2009: '' sea kittens'' (attempted rebranding of fish by PETA) * 2010: ''refudiate'' ( blend word of refute and repudiate used by Sarah Palin on Twitter) * 2011: ''bi-winning'' (term used by

Charlie Sheen Carlos Irwin Estévez (born September 3, 1965), known professionally as Charlie Sheen, is an American actor. He has appeared in films such as ''Platoon'' (1986), ''Wall Street'' (1987), '' Young Guns'' (1988), '' The Rookie'' (1990), ''The Thr ...

to describe himself pridefully, dismissing accusations of being bipolar) * 2012: ''

legitimate rape During the 2012 United States election cycle, in federal and state elections, a series of controversies arose as a result of statements by Republican Party candidates about rape, pregnancy, contraception, abortion, and related topics. The first ...

'' (type of rape that Missouri Senate candidate

Todd Akin William Todd Akin (July 5, 1947 – October 3, 2021) was an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2001 to 2013. He was a member of the Republican Party. Born in New York City, Akin grew up in the Greater St. Louis ...

claimed rarely results in pregnancy) * 2013: ''

sharknado ''Sharknado'' is a 2013 American made-for-television science fiction comedy disaster film directed by Anthony C. Ferrante. It tells about a waterspout that lifts sharks out of the ocean and deposits them in Los Angeles. It is the first install ...

'' (a tornado full of sharks, as featured in the Syfy Channel movie of that name) * 2014: ''baeless'': without a romantic partner (lacking a ''bae''). * 2015: ''manbun'': man's hairstyle pulled up in a bun.

Most outrageous

* 2008: '' terrorist fist jab'' (a phrase for a fist bump coined by

Fox News The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owne ...

newscaster

E. D. Hill Edith Ann "E.D." Hill (''née'' Tarbox; born July 27, 1961), known professionally as E.D. Donahey during her second marriage, is an American journalist. She has been a news anchor and radio host and formerly worked for the Fox News Channel. ...

) * 2009: ''

death panel "Death panel" is a political term that originated during the 2009 debate about federal health care legislation to cover the uninsured in the United States. Sarah Palin, former Republican Governor of Alaska and Vice Presidential Candidate in 20 ...

'' (a supposed committee of doctors and/or bureaucrats who would decide which patients would and wouldn't receive treatment) * 2010: ''gate rape'' (pejorative term for invasive new airport pat-down procedure) * 2011: ''assholocracy'' (rule by obnoxious multi-millionaires) * 2012: ''

'' (type of rape that Missouri Senate candidate

claimed rarely results in pregnancy) * 2013: ''underbutt'' (the underside of buttocks, made visible by certain shorts or underwear) * 2014: '' second-amendment'': v. to kill (someone) with a gun, used ironically by gun control supporters. * 2015: ''fuckboy, fuckboi'': derogatory term for a man who behaves objectionably or promiscuously.

Most euphemistic

* 2008: ''scooping technician'' (a person whose job it is to pick up dog poop) * 2009: '' hike the Appalachian trail'' (to go away to have sex with one's illicit lover, from a statement released by South Carolina Governor

Mark Sanford Marshall Clement "Mark" Sanford Jr. (born May 28, 1960) is an American politician and author who served as the U.S. Representative for South Carolina's 1st congressional district from 1995 to 2001 and again from 2013 to 2019, and also as the ...

to cover for visiting his Argentinean mistress) * 2010: ''kinetic event'' (Pentagon term for violent attacks on troops in Afghanistan) * 2011: ''job creator'' (a person responsible for economic growth and employment) * 2012: '' self-deportation'' (policy of encouraging illegal immigrants to return voluntarily to their home countries) * 2013: '' least untruthful'' (involving the smallest necessary lie, used by intelligence director James Clapper) * 2014: '' EIT'': abbreviation for the already euphemistic "enhanced interrogation technique." * 2015: ''Netflix and chill'': sexual come-on masked as a suggestion to watch Netflix and relax.

Most likely to succeed

* 2008: '' shovel-ready'' (description of infrastructure projects that can be started quickly, when funds become available) * 2009: ''twenty-ten'' (pronunciation of the year 2010, as opposed to saying "two thousand ten" or "two thousand and ten") * 2010: ''trend'' (verb for exhibiting a burst of online buzz) * 2011: ''

cloud In meteorology, a cloud is an aerosol consisting of a visible mass of miniature liquid droplets, frozen crystals, or other particles suspended in the atmosphere of a planetary body or similar space. Water or various other chemicals may ...

'' (online space for the large-scale processing and storage of data) * 2012: ''

'' (legal recognition of same-sex marriage) * 2013: ''binge-watch'' (to consume vast quantities of a single show or series of visual entertainment in one sitting) * 2014: ''salty'': exceptionally bitter, angry, or upset. * 2015: ''ghost'': (verb) abruptly end a relationship by cutting off communication, especially online.

Least likely to succeed

* 2008: ''PUMA'' (an acronym for "Party Unity My Ass" and later, " People United Means Action" as used by Democrats who were disaffected after

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

failed to secure a sufficient number of delegates) * 2009: Naughties, Aughties, Oughties, etc. (alternative names for the decade 2000–2009) * 2010: '' culturomics'' (research project from Google analyzing the history of language and culture) * 2011: '' brony'' (an adult male fan of the " My Little Pony" cartoon franchise) * 2012: ''

phablet A phablet (, ) is a mobile device combining or straddling the size formats of smartphones and tablets. The word is a portmanteau of ''phone'' and ''tablet''. Phablets feature large displays that complement screen-intensive activity such as mo ...

'' (mid-sized electronic device, between a

smartphone A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, whic ...

and a tablet) * 2013: '' Thanksgivukkah'' (confluence of Thanksgiving and the first day of Hanukkah that will not be repeated for another 70,000 years) * 2014: ''platisher'': online media publisher that also serves as a platform for creating content. * 2015: ''sitbit'': device that rewards sedentary lifestyle (play on Fitbit fitness tracker).

Special categories

* Election-Related Word (2008): ''

maverick Maverick, Maveric or Maverik may refer to: History * Maverick (animal), an unbranded range animal, derived from U.S. cattleman Samuel Maverick Aviation * AEA Maverick, an Australian single-seat sportsplane design * General Aviation Design Burea ...

'' (a person who is beholden to no one, widely used by the Republican presidential and vice-presidential candidates John McCain and Sarah Palin) * Fan Words (2010): ''gleek'' (a fan of the TV show ''

Glee Glee means delight, a form of happiness. Glee may also refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 30 ...

'') * Occupy Words (2011): '' the 99%, 99 percenters'' (those held to be at a financial or political disadvantage to the top moneymakers, the one-percenters) * Election Words (2012): '' binders (full of women)'' (a term used by Mitt Romney in the second presidential debate to describe the resumes of female job candidates that he consulted as

governor of Massachusetts The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the chief executive officer of the government of Massachusetts. The governor is the head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonwealth's military forces. Massachuset ...

) * Most Productive (2013): ''-shaming'': (from

slut-shaming Slut-shaming is the practice of criticizing people, especially women and girls, who are perceived to violate expectations of behavior and appearance regarding issues related to sexuality. The term is used to reclaim the word ''slut'' and empower ...

) type of public humiliation (

fat-shaming Social stigma of obesity is broadly defined as bias or discriminatory behaviors targeted at overweight and obese individuals because of their weight. Such social stigmas can span one's entire life, as long as excess weight is present, starting ...

, pet-shaming). * Most Notable Hashtag (2014): ''#blacklivesmatter'': protest over Black people killed at the hands of police (esp. Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., Eric Garner in Staten Island).

Australian National Dictionary Centre

The

Australian National Dictionary Centre The Australian National Dictionary Centre (ANDC) at the Australian National University in Canberra is a major centre for lexicographical research in Australia. It is jointly funded by the Australian National University and Oxford University Pres ...

has announced a Word of the Year each since 2006. The word is chosen by the editorial staff, and is selected on the basis of having come to some prominence in the Australian social and cultural landscape during the year. The Word of the Year is often reported in the media as being Australia's word of the year, but the word is not always an Australian word.

''Cambridge Dictionary''

The

Cambridge Dictionary The ''Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary'' (abbreviated ''CALD'') was first published in 1995 under the name ''Cambridge International Dictionary of English'', by the Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press is the ...

Word of the Year, by Cambridge University Press & Assessment, has been published every year since 2015. The Cambridge Word of the Year is led by the data - what users look up - in the world's most popular dictionary for English language learners. In 2022, the Cambridge Word of the Year was '

homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

', caused by

Wordle ''Wordle'' is a web-based word game created and developed by Welsh software engineer Josh Wardle, and owned and published by The New York Times Company since 2022. Players have six attempts to guess a five-letter word, with feedback given for ...

players looking up five-letter words, especially those that non-American players were less familiar with. In 2021, the Cambridge Dictionary Word of the Year was 'perserverance'. In 2020, 'quarantine'.

''Collins English Dictionary''

The ''

Collins English Dictionary The ''Collins English Dictionary'' is a printed and online dictionary of English. It is published by HarperCollins in Glasgow. The edition of the dictionary in 1979 with Patrick Hanks as editor and Laurence Urdang as editorial director, wa ...

'' has announced a Word of the Year every year since 2013, and prior to this, announced a new 'word of the month' each month in 2012. Published in Glasgow, UK, ''Collins English Dictionary'' has been publishing English dictionaries since 1819. Toward the end of each calendar year, ''Collins'' release a shortlist of notable words or those that have come to prominence in the previous 12 months. The shortlist typically comprises ten words, though in 2014 only four words were announced as the Word of the Year shortlist. The Collins Words of the Year are selected by the Collins Dictionary team across Glasgow and London, consisting of lexicographers, editorial, marketing, and publicity staff, though previously the selection process has been open to the public. Whilst the word is not required to be new to feature, the appearance of words in the list is often supported by usage statistics and cross-reference against Collins' extensive corpus to understand how language may have changed or developed in the previous year. The Collins Word of the Year is also not restricted to UK language usage, and words are often chosen that apply internationally as well, for example, fake news in 2017.

''Macquarie Dictionary''

The ''

Macquarie Dictionary The ''Macquarie Dictionary'' () is a dictionary of Australian English. It is generally considered by universities and the legal profession to be the authoritative source on Australian English. It also pays considerable attention to New Zealand ...

'', which is the dictionary of Australian English, updates the online dictionary each year with new words, phrases, and definitions. These can be viewed on their website. Each year the editors select a short-list of new words added to the dictionary and invite the public to vote on their favourite. The public vote is held in January and results in the People's Choice winner. The most influential word of the year is also selected by the Word of the Year Committee which is chaired by the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sydney, Dr Michael Spence. The Editor of the ''Macquarie Dictionary'', Susan Butler, is also a committee member. The Committee meets annually to select the overall winning words. The following is the list of winning words since the Macquarie Word of the Year first began in 2006:

Merriam-Webster

The lists of Merriam-Webster's Words of the Year (for each year) are ten-word lists published annually by the American dictionary-publishing company Merriam-Webster, Inc., which feature the ten words of the year from the English language. These word lists started in 2003 and have been published at the end of each year. At first, Merriam-Webster determined its contents by analyzing page hits and popular searches on its website. Since 2006, the list has been determined by an

online poll An open-access poll is a type of opinion poll in which a nonprobability sample of participants self-select into participation. The term includes call-in, mail-in, and some online polls. The most common examples of open-access polls ask people t ...

and by suggestions from visitors to the website. The following is the list of words that became Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year since 2003: * 2003: democracy * 2004: blog * 2005:

integrity Integrity is the practice of being honest and showing a consistent and uncompromising adherence to strong moral and ethical principles and values. In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of one's actions. In ...

* 2006:

* 2007: w00t * 2008:

* 2009: admonish * 2010: austerity * 2011: pragmatic * 2012:

socialism Socialism is a left-wing Economic ideology, economic philosophy and Political movement, movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to Private prop ...

and

capitalism Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, price system, priva ...

* 2013: science * 2014: culture * 2015:

-ism ''-ism'' is a suffix in many English words, originally derived from the Ancient Greek suffix ('), and reaching English through the Latin , and the French . It means "taking side with" or "imitation of", and is often used to describe philosop ...

* 2016:

surreal Surreal may refer to: *Anything related to or characteristic of Surrealism, a movement in philosophy and art * "Surreal" (song), a 2000 song by Ayumi Hamasaki * ''Surreal'' (album), an album by Man Raze *Surreal humour, a common aspect of humor ...

* 2017:

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

* 2018:

justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...

* 2019:

they In Modern English, ''they'' is a third-person pronoun relating to a grammatical subject. Morphology In Standard Modern English, ''they'' has five distinct word forms: * ''they'': the nominative (subjective) form * ''them'': the accusat ...

*2020: pandemic *2021:

vaccine A vaccine is a biological preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious or malignant disease. The safety and effectiveness of vaccines has been widely studied and verified.

* 2022:

gaslighting Gaslighting is a colloquialism, loosely defined as manipulating someone so as to make them question their own reality. The term derives from the title of the 1944 American film '' Gaslight'', which was based on the 1938 British theatre play '' G ...

Oxford

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, which publishes the ''

Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a co ...

'' and many other dictionaries, announces an Oxford Dictionaries UK Word of the Year and an Oxford Dictionaries US Word of the Year; sometimes these are the same word. The Word of the Year need not have been coined within the past twelve months but it does need to have become prominent or notable during that time. There is no guarantee that the Word of the Year will be included in any Oxford dictionary. The Oxford Dictionaries Words of the Year are selected by editorial staff from each of the Oxford dictionaries. The selection team is made up of lexicographers and consultants to the dictionary team, and editorial, marketing, and publicity staff.

Grant Barrett

Since 2004, lexicographer

Grant Barrett Grant Barrett (born 1970) is an American lexicographer, specializing in slang, jargon and new usage, and the author and compiler of language-related books and dictionaries. He is a co-host and co-producer of the American weekly, hour-long public ...

has published a words-of-the-year list, usually in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', though he does not name a winner.
2004

also a mor
complete list

2014 in ''Dallas Morning News''

Dictionary.com

In 2010,

Dictionary.com Dictionary.com is an online dictionary whose domain was first registered on May 14, 1995. The primary content on Dictionary.com is a proprietary dictionary based on ''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'', with editors for the site providing new ...

announced its first word of the year, 'change', and has done so in December every year since. The selection is based on search trends on the site throughout the year and the news events that drive them. The following is the list of annual words since beginning with the first in 2010: * 2010:

Change Change or Changing may refer to: Alteration * Impermanence, a difference in a state of affairs at different points in time * Menopause, also referred to as "the change", the permanent cessation of the menstrual period * Metamorphosis, or change, ...

* 2011:

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