“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me.” Well, as we all know, they actually can and often do, while some simply get used so much they rise to the title Words of the Year, reflecting the times we live and/or how language evolves. In 2024, these select words, voted on mostly by the younger set, especially Gen Ze’s, made it to the top…
Cambridge Dictionary alerted us to manifest, not as typically used to describe something as being “evident, apparent, or clear,” but now used by influencers for “wish hard and make it happen.”
Collins Dictionary gave us brat—not as in a bad-mannered, nuisance of a kid, but as a “reckless, feisty female.”
Dictionary.com’s word this year is demure; usually used to describe someone as “reserved, modest, or shy,” now it’s used to convince “online showoff” influencers to be more dignified.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary‘s #1 word is polarization, defining it as “a division into two sharply distinct opposites in opinions, beliefs and interests,” collectively or individually.
Its top 5 follow-ups: totality, demure, fortnight, pander, and resonate.
Oxford University Press went with brain rot, the result of our virtually-obsessed lives. Says Oxford Languages President Casper Grathwohl, “It feels like a rightful next chapter in the cultural conversation about humanity and technology. It’s not surprising that so many voters embraced the term.”
It’s runner-up word of the year: slop, not as in the wastewater but to describe “the low-quality content produced by Artificial Intelligence.”
Then there’s this from me: Happy New Year, hope, and thanks, too.
~ With good 2025 wishes, Carol
