WotY, the Sequel
...A dispatch from bewilderness
This is the second installment of WotYs, as in Words of the Years, as selected in each specific year by the Oxford Press and Merriam Webster.
Words of 2020
Merriam-Webster: pandemic
Oxford University Press: none
This was the year when the Oxford University Press omitted their “WotY” as they considered 2020 was not “a year that could neatly be accommodated in one single “word of the year””. Merriam-Webster, on the other hand, made what it considered the obvious choice. 2020 marked the beginning of COVID-19 for most of the world.
Words of 2021
Merriam-Webster: vaccine
Oxford University Press: vax
Both Merriam-Webster and Oxford decided to reflect its imperative by declaring the words vaccine, and its shortened form vax, as the “Words of the Year”. Vaccine was immensely popular in Merriam-Webster’s search queries — compared to 2020, the word’s searches went up by 600% in 2021.
Words of 2022
Merriam-Webster: gaslighting
Oxford University Press: goblin mode
Merriam-Webster chose gaslighting, meaning “the act or practice of grossly misleading someone, especially for one’s own advantage”. In contrast, Oxford University Press selected goblin mode as their winner. According to Oxford, this slang term “is a type of behaviour which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations.”
Words of 2023
Merriam-Webster: authentic
Oxford University Press: rizz
This year’s “WotY” title was given to two words — rizz and authentic. Rizz has been popularised by Gen Z, who use it as a shortened form of the word charisma. The Oxford University Press used this as an example how an in-community term can become more widely used. Merriam-Webster chose authentic. The burgeoning use of authentic likely reflects the ever-growing role AI plays in everyday lives.
If you haven’t already, please find the WotY for 2024 and many more in the prior post.
