Words and Terms that Told the Story of 2025

While many marketing and news commentators (including this blogger) have talked about the people, food, brands, films, books, colors, flavors, and notable deaths that made news during 2025, let's not forget the memorable words and terms that told the story of 2025.

SHARE THIS: The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug. ~Mark Twain (via Emily Aborn) #WordsoftheYear #DebbieLaskeysBlog

CAMBRIDGE DICTIONARY

Cambridge Dictionary, whose tagline is "Where Your World Grows," announced "Parasocial" as its 2025 word of the year: involving or relating to a connection that someone feels between themselves and a famous person they do not know, a character in a book, film, TV series, etc., or an artificial intelligence. The adjective was chosen because, according to the dictionary's website, "As social media intensifies the intimacy that fans feel with their adored celebrities, and with the rise in popularity of AI companions that can take on personalities, the word for these one-way relationships – parasocial – is having its own moment. Colin McIntosh, Cambridge Dictionary Chief Editor, explained, "Parasocial stood out in 2025 for several reasons. Public interest in the term increased massively this year, as we can see from our data: the number of searches for it in the Cambridge Dictionary as well as on Google spiked on several occasions. It’s interesting from a language point of view because it has made the transition from an academic term to one used by ordinary people in their social media posts. And it also captures the zeitgeist of 2025, as the public’s fascination with celebrities and their lifestyles continues to reach new heights."

COLLINS DICTIONARY

Collins Dictionary announced "Vibe Coding" as its 2025 word (term) of the year. According to CNN, "As Collins' definition states, vibe coding is the use of artificial intelligence prompted by natural language to assist with the writing of computer code. Basically, telling a machine what you want rather than painstakingly coding it yourself."

DICTIONARY.COM

Dictionary.com announced "6 7" (pronounced "six-seven" and NEVER "sixty-seven) as its 2025 word (term) of the year. According to Dictionary.com, "The annual pick serves as a linguistic time capsule, reflecting social trends and global events that defined the year. The term's exact origin is a bit unclear. Teachers and parents began hearing kids and teenagers use the term over the course of the year, and some say it can be interpreted as another way of saying "so-so," "maybe this," or "maybe that." Some have linked the term to NBA player LaMelo Ball, who is 6 feet, 7 inches tall."

According to the New York Post, "Despite the accolade, the phrase has no real meaning. And some teachers have even had to ban the phrase from their classrooms after their kids have relentlessly chanted 'Six-seven! Six-seven!'"

And get this story...according to ABC7 News, "In-N-Out kicked the number 67 out of its order system because of the viral 6-7 trend. The fast food chain said kids and teenagers would wait around just to hear it called, and then jump into unruly 6-7 celebrations. Employees confirmed the number hasn't been used for orders for about a month. Now, the order system jumps from 66 straight to 68."

OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS

Oxford University Press announced "rage bait" as its 2025 word (term) of the year and provided this definition, "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. With 2025’s news cycle dominated by social unrest, debates about the regulation of online content, and concerns over digital wellbeing, our experts noticed that the use of rage bait this year has evolved to signal a deeper shift in how we talk about attention — both how it is given and how it is sought after — engagement, and ethics online."

MACQUARIE DICTIONARY

The Macquarie Dictionary, known as an arbiter of Australian English, chose "AI slop" as its word (term) of the year for 2025, a colloquial noun defined as "low-quality content created by generative AI, often containing errors, and not requested by the user." According to the dictionary's announcement, "We understand now in 2025 what we mean by slop — AI generated slop, which lacks meaningful content or use. While in recent years, we’ve learnt to become search engineers to find meaningful information, we now need to become prompt engineers in order to wade through the AI slop. Slop in this sense will be a robust addition to English for years to come. The question is, are the people ingesting and regurgitating this content soon to be called AI sloppers?"

MERRIAM-WEBSTER

Announced on December 15th, Merriam-Webster's editors chose "slop" as its 2025 word of the year and defined the word as "digital content of low quality that is produced usually in quantity by means of artificial intelligence. All that stuff dumped on our screens, captured in just four letters: the English language came through again. The flood of slop in 2025 included absurd videos, off-kilter advertising images, cheesy propaganda, fake news that looks pretty real, junky AI-written books, "workslop" reports that waste coworkers' time...and lots of talking cats. People found it annoying, and people ate it up. Like slime, sludge, and muck, slop has the wet sound of something you don’t want to touch. Slop oozes into everything. The original sense of the word, in the 1700's, was "soft mud." In the 1800's, it came to mean "food waste," and then more generally, "rubbish" or "a product of little or no value." In 2025, amid all the talk about AI threats, slop set a tone that's less fearful, more mocking. The word sends a little message to AI: when it comes to replacing human creativity, sometimes you don't seem too super-intelligent."

FIVE WORDS THAT STOOD OUT DURING 2025 ACCORDING TO MERRIAM-WEBSTER

GERRYMANDER: "Throughout 2025, when Republicans and Democrats used redistricting to increase their electoral advantages, gerrymander became a popular search term.To gerrymander is to divide a state, school district, etc. into political units or election districts that give one group or political party an unfair advantage. The word comes from the name of Elbridge Gerry, an American politician in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Gerry was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and vice president under James Madison, and as governor of Massachusetts he tried to change the shape of voting districts to help members of his political party get elected. His system resulted in some highly irregular and oddly shaped districts, including one (Gerry’s home district) that looked a little like a newt. Upon seeing a map of the bizarre regional divisions, a member of the opposing party drew feet, wings, and a head on Gerry’s district and said “That will do for a salamander!” Another member called out “Gerrymander!” And the term stuck."

TOUCH GRASS: "The idiomatic phrase touch grass means "to participate in normal activities in the real world especially as opposed to online experiences and interactions." The phrase is often aimed at people who spend so much time online that they become disconnected from reality."

PERFORMATIVE: "In the age of social media, when all the world's a cellphone-sized stage, the steep rise in lookups of performative resulted not from any particular news item, but instead from the pervasiveness of what it describes. Performative means made or done for show (as to bolster one's own image or make a positive impression on others)."

TARIFF: "Tariff refers to “a schedule of duties imposed by a government on imported or in some countries exported goods. The word entered English centuries ago, via Italian, and originally came from the Arabic word meaning notification."

CONCLAVE: "This word spiked in lookups after the death of Pope Francis in April, when Roman Catholic cardinals from around the world gathered at the Vatican to elect a successor. This meeting, called a conclave, is how new popes have been selected since the 13th century. The word conclave comes from the Latin conclave meaning “room that can be locked up.” It originally referred specifically to the locked room where the cardinals nominate, debate, and vote in secret."

And also during 2025, Merriam-Webster added over 5,000 words to its Collegiate Dictionary, the first major print revision in 22 years, showing a commitment to keeping the dictionary current with language changes. Greg Barlow, President of Merriam-Webster, explained, "Our website receives over a billion visits per year. But people still love books. In fact, we continue to sell over a million dictionaries a year – and the new Twelfth Edition is the finest Collegiate we've ever published. For those who enjoy books and dictionaries, it will be a volume to cherish...This beautiful red dictionary may not be the biggest part of our business, but in many ways, it's the heart."

Here were key additions:

Cancel Culture: The practice of withdrawing support for public figures after they have done something considered objectionable.

Dad Bod: A physique regarded as typical of an average father, especially one that is slightly overweight.

Doomscroll: To continue scrolling through bad news on social media despite the anxiety it causes.

Dumbphone: A basic mobile phone with limited functionality, often used to reduce screen time.

Farm-to-Table: Locally-sourced food.

Ghost Kitchen: A professional food preparation facility set up only for delivery-only meals.

Petrichor: The pleasant smell after rain.

Rizz: Slang for charisma or the ability to attract a romantic partner.

Teraflop: A unit of computing speed equal to one trillion floating-point operations per second.

WFH: The abbreviation for work from home.

CREATOR INDUSTRY VOCABULARY

According to The Wrap, "The creator industry (also known as the creator ecosystem or the creator economy) is lacking a consistent vocabulary. The words "creator" and "influencer" often get confused. Creators are more focused on creating content, while influencers are more focused on building audiences."

MOST SEARCHED TERMS ON GOOGLE

According to Exploding Topics, "Google receives over 100 billion visits per month. Here are the top five searches in the United States during 2025: YouTube, Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Weather."

LINKEDIN: LATEST HOT JOB = STORYTELLER

According to LinkedIn, the percentage of job postings in the United States with the term "storyteller" doubled during 2025 to include some 50,000 listings under "marketing" and more than 20,000 listings under "media and communications."

According to The Wall Street Journal, "Corporate America's latest hot job is also one of the oldest in history: storyteller...Compliance tech firm Vanta began hiring for a head of storytelling, offering a salary of up to $274,000. Productivity app Notion recently merged its communications, social media, and influencer functions into one 10-person "storytelling" team. And military financial services company USAA is hiring its fourth staff storyteller less than a year since it hired its first."

Jennifer Kuperman, Chime's chief corporate affairs officer, said, "Terms like "editorial" are limiting. They put in mind a very specific thing you're doing or creating. Whereas you could tell stories in so many different ways."

GLASSDOOR

Glassdoor did not announce a word of the year for 2025, but instead, its 2026 Worklife Trends Report highlighted several key themes and buzzwords from employee reviews, with a prominent focus on "disconnect," "distrust," and the "forever layoff." The report uses these words to describe the growing gap between employees and senior leadership - and collectively capture a prevailing mood of uncertainty, skepticism, and strained workplace relationships expected in 2026.

Key terms and trends identified in the 2026 report included:

(1) "Disconnect" / "Misalignment": Mentions of "misalignment" in reviews surged by 149 percent, while "disconnect" rose 24 percent and "distrust" climbed 26 percent. These terms point to a significant erosion of trust in leadership.

(2) "Forever layoff": This phrase describes the new normal of small, ongoing "mini-layoffs" that create constant anxiety and job insecurity for workers, even if they don't make major headlines.

(3) "Slow-mo RTO" (Return to Office): While formal mandates are not always enforced, a subtle pressure exists, as remote/hybrid workers experience declining ratings for career opportunities compared to in-office counterparts.

(4) "AI anxiety": Though the direct impact on job satisfaction is currently limited, the psychological effect of potential AI-driven disruption is notable, particularly among early-career workers.

Here were other words and terms that stood out during 2025:

FREAKQUEL: A portmanteau (a single word created by blending parts of two or more words, combining their sounds and meanings) combining freaky and sequel. In August, the movie "Freakier Friday" arrived in theaters and was a much-anticipated sequel to the movie "Freaky Friday" that starred Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis in 2003.

TWISTED TRADWIFE FICTION: According to Author Jo Piazza, "I think these stories resonate right now because they tap into the dark side of nostalgia. The soft, serene surface hides something insidious underneath. We're living through a moment where traditional gender roles are being rebranded as empowerment, and that tension is fascinating, and very scary. Thriller readers are smart. They know when they're being sold a lie. They want to dig into it. This genre lets us do that."

DISTRACTION: According to an opinion piece on CNN.com, political reporter Ron Brownstein wrote that "One word captures the most important division among Democrats." He wrote that the word was "distraction" because every time President Trump does something that causes people to shake their heads, it causes a distraction. Case in point, how can legislators in Congress focus on important issues, when each day, Trump makes a crazy statement, for example, eliminating mail-in ballots? However, according to Celinda Lake, a veteran Democratic pollster, "Describing Trump's actions as a "distraction" is absolutely wrong. I think it misses completely where Democrats are at." And back to Brownstein, "The conflict over the word "distraction," is, of course, a proxy for the much larger debate over which messages Democrats should emphasize as they work to rebuild the party's tattered image and shape their campaigns for 2026."

TREATONOMICS: "Treatonomics" (also referred to as "little treat culture") describes our current era of economic uncertainty. The trend has taken off with consumers, according to NBC News, who are buying a small treat that's easier to afford, rather than a large purchase such as furniture or a car. Studies show that these pick-me-ups can cause our brains to release "happy hormones" such as dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins.

SANGRY: A portmanteau (a single word created by blending parts of two or more words, combining their sounds and meanings) of sad plus angry to describe a particular mood.

DELULU: Delulu is a slang term for "delusional," meaning someone who holds false beliefs or unrealistic expectations, particularly in areas like romance or celebrity fandom, but can also be applied to other areas like careers or finances. The term has gained popularity, especially with Gen Z, and is sometimes used in a more positive or humorous context. Some influencers use the phrase "delulu is the solulu," which suggests that self-confidence and a positive mindset can be the solution to problems, similar to the "fake it till you make it" idea. 

COOLCATIONS: Since the United Kingdom experienced a heatwave during June with temperatures soaring above 30 degrees Celcius (86 degrees Fahrenheit), British travelers sought cooler destinations with searches for Nordic countries and Southern Hemisphere winter breaks. The trend became known as coolcations.

SHRINKFLATION: a portmanteau (a single word created by blending parts of two or more words, combining their sounds and meanings) combining shrinking plus inflation.

SNEAKFLATION: CNN reported that, "Retailers and major brands know that many Americans live paycheck to paycheck, so they're using "sneakflation" to pass along Trump's tariffs in small increments in hopes that consumers won't notice or will be able to better absorb it." According to Google, "Sneakflation is the practice by companies of subtly reducing the value of a product or service without raising its price, in order to pass on increased costs to consumers. This is done by reducing quantity, downgrading quality, adding hidden fees, or decreasing features, rather than explicitly increasing the price tag on an identical item."

BOREOUT: Unlike burnout, boreout can slip under the radar. According to Midtraining, "Boreout is a state of chronic boredom at work that leaves employees feeling disengaged, underused, amd disconnected from their role. Over time, they may begin to question the purpose of their job, lose confidence, or detach from the team entirely. If left unaddressed, boreout can increase employee turnover and lead to rising rates of depression across a team."

GLOBAL OBSCURANTISM: This term is about the power of knowledge and who controls its flow and accessibility in the world. It refers to the deliberate action or policy of preventing the dissemination of knowledge or deliberate practice of making information vague and difficult to understand on a global scale.

STEREOTYPE REACTANCE: This is a phenomenon when people hear a negative stereotype about their group and want to prove it wrong. According to Wharton PhD student Sophia Pink, "The idea is a bit like telling someone not to press a red button. Once you know you're not supposed to do it, you want to do it more. In this case, being told that people like you fail to compete makes you want to do just the opposite and defy the stereotype."

SUMMERWEEN: According to GMA, "Calling all ghouls: Summerween is back for 2025, and the trend is even more popular than last year! The fun Halloween-meets-summer trend started in 2024, and this year, stores jumped on Summerween early. On July 25th, Michaels launched "Dead Regency," an assortment of darkly enchanting pieces featuring nods to Edgar Allen Poe, Victor Frankenstein, and ornate, crystal-draped candelabras that would work equally well for Halloween or a year-round eerie atmosphere."

KIDULTING: CNN reported, "Build-A-Bear Workshop, the nearly 30-year-old toy brand, is having a breakout moment, eclipsing some of Wall Street’s biggest winners by targeting customers across a broad age range. The toy company’s revenue grew 11 percent in the second quarter to a record $124.2 million, and it even raised full-year guidance – all while mitigating the cost of tariffs. That’s a stark contrast to years of unprofitability before 2012. Investors have taken notice. In the last year alone, Build-A-Bear’s stock is up 76 percent. Build-A-Bear broadened its customer base beyond kids and capitalized on customer trends that emerged after the pandemic, focusing on experiences and tapping into what Sharon Price John, the company’s CEO, calls the nostalgia economy." She explained, "'Kidulting (is) adults wanting to be kids, and they’re buying things that they loved when they were kids. So we leaned into that with really interesting licenses that played on their memory."

SHARENTING: According to IDX, "Sharenting consists of posting photos, videos, or stories about your kids on social media. Before you post, consider that this information could be used by bad actors for harassment, identity theft, and more...Bad actors could use these personal details to track down your child’s location, commit identity theft, or attempt to hack into your accounts. Your kids could also be subjected to cyberbullying or harassment."

GENES VERSUS JEANS: The AP reported, "U.S. fashion retailer American Eagle Outfitters wanted to make a splash with its new advertising campaign starring 27-year-old actress Sydney Sweeney. Titled "Sydney Sweeney has great jeans," the campaign sparked a debate about race, Western beauty standards, and the backlash to "woke" American politics and culture. Most of the negative reception focused on videos that used the word "genes" instead of "jeans" when discussing the blonde-haired, blue-eyed actress known for her two HBO series. Some critics saw the wordplay as a nod, either unintentional or deliberate, to eugenics, a discredited theory that held humanity could be improved through selective breeding for certain traits...Eugenics gained popularity in early 20th century America, and Nazi Germany embraced it to carry out Adolf Hitler's plan for an Aryan master race." Marcus Collins, an assistant professor of marketing at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business, said, "The criticism could have been avoided if the ads showed models of various races making the "genes" pun. You can either say this was ignorance, laziness, or intentional. Either one of the three isn't good."

A final note, American Eagle defended the ad on Instagram in an attempt to stop the criticism: "[The] Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans" [campaign] is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story. We'll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone."

SIGNAGE AND HISTORY/HERSTORY: The 19th reported that, "Under pressure from the Trump administration, the National Park Service (NPS) removed historical context from signage that explained the role women played in the creation of the Muir Woods National Monument and highlighted the racist ideologies of some of the men associated with the site. A ranger for the monument confirmed that the information removed in mid-July originated from an initiative by NPS officials called "History Under Construction" that filled in gaps in the timeline of the park to offer a more comprehensive history of the monument in Marin County, California, which is known for its old-growth redwood trees." Alan Spears, senior director of cultural resources at the National Parks Conservation Association, a nonprofit that advocates for the park system, said, "President Trump's executive order could jeopardize the Park Service's mission to protect and interpret American history. Every American who cares about our country's history should be worried about what people, places, and themes disappear next."

PAINSTORMING

A new term appeared according to Psychology Today, "Painstorming" refers to a leadership practice of diagnosing organizational "pain" to drive meaningful change, rather than simply "brainstorming" possible solutions. It views friction as valuable feedback, helping leaders ask, "How do we make change work for people?" instead of "How do we make people change?"

Ahron Friedberg, M.D., explained, "Most leaders excel at brainstorming: generating ideas for innovation. But few are skilled at painstorming, or the ability to surface frustration, friction, and fatigue. Painstorming is the practice of identifying the emotional and structural pain points associated with change. It reframes discomfort as diagnostic data. Resistance, when examined through painstorming, often exposes misaligned priorities between executives, managers, and teams. Addressing these fractures early restores alignment and prevents burnout. Painstorming is important because it closes the gap between leaders' perceptions and the reality on the ground by surfacing hidden problems; and it builds trust so that leaders who acknowledge and address pain can build deeper connection with their teams."

META QUOTE

And let's not forget the language snafu from January, as reported by Fortune, Meta's CEO Mark Zuckerberg was quoted as saying, "I think masculine energy is good, and obviously society has plenty of that, but I think that corporate culture was really trying to get away from it. It's like you want feminine energy, you want masculine energy. I think that that's all good. But I do think the corporate culture sort of had swung toward being this somewhat more neutered thing. If you're a woman going into a company, it probably feels like it's too masculine. You want women to be able to succeed and have companies that can unlock all the value from having great people no matter what their background or gender."

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WORD/PHRASE REMOVAL LAWSUIT

On a final linguistic note, NPR reported in December that, "Some Head Start early childhood programs are being told by the federal government to remove a list of nearly 200 words and phrases from their funding applications or they could be denied. That's according to recently submitted court documents. The list of words and phrases is titled: "Words to limit or avoid in government documents." and includes "accessible," "belong," "Black," "disability," "female," "minority," "trauma," "tribal" and "women." The list was submitted on December 5th, as part of an ongoing lawsuit filed by Head Start programs in a handful of states – including Pennsylvania, Washington, Wisconsin and Illinois – against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and its secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The lawsuit argues that the Trump administration's ban on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in federal programs conflicts with Head Start's statutory mandate. That mandate includes, among other things, providing "linguistically and culturally appropriate" services as well as early intervention services for children with disabilities."

Jacqueline Rodriguez of the National Center for Learning Disabilities said, "Banning the word 'disability' from Head Start is morally repugnant and a violation of federal law. No administration can claim to support children with disabilities while banning the very word that protects them."

As the famous writer Joseph Conrad wrote, "My task which I am trying to achieve is by the power of the written word, to make you hear, to make you feel - it is, before all, to make you see. That — and no more, and it is everything."

What words and terms will define 2026? We'll have to wait and see, but until next January's recap, I invite you to browse through your dictionary to learn new words!

Image Credit: Engoo.

Read in Forbes: Is Social Media the New Google for Gen Z?

https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/software/social-media-new-google/

Read Glassdoor's Worklife Trends Report for 2026:

https://www.glassdoor.com/blog/worklife-trends-2026/

Read here on my blog: Best Social Media Post of the Month of November 2025:

https://www.debbielaskeysblog.com/2025/12/best-social-media-post-of-month-of.html

See the full list of nearly 200 words and phrases included in the Head Start lawsuit:

https://www.npr.org/2025/12/11/nx-s1-5640757/head-start-hhs-funding-dei

Read about Painstorming on Psychology Today:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/listen-and-build/202510/how-painstorming-helps-leaders-drive-change

How Will You Celebrate National Dictionary Day?

Celebrated annually on October 16th, National Dictionary Day celebrates the birth of Noah Webster, an American writer who was born in 1758. According to NationalToday.com, "Webster is best-known for publishing the first dictionary in 1806, which he continued to compile and expand for the next 27 years. When his dictionary was published in 1828, it was a formidable resource packed with useful words and spelling updates."

Young Noah set off for Yale at age 16. He chose to study teaching because law was too expensive. According to NationalToday.com, "It was in teaching that he first felt compelled to reform the American academic system and language. His first textbook was issued in 1783 and covered the grammar of the English language...Many of us are familiar with the spelling differences between English and American English words like "color" - much of that can be credited to Webster, who, in his first edition of the American English dictionary in 1806, took time to correct English spellings (and change) to American English ones. Another example: Webster re-spelled "musick" as "music." Though this bestselling dictionary defined 37,000 words, he was unsatisfied; and so he spent the next 22 years of his life dedicated to editing and adding new words. Eventually, at the age of 70, Webster published his new dictionary in 1828 with over 65,000 words."

After Webster died in 1843 as an American hero who pioneered the dictionary and supported both the abolition of slavery and universal education, G & C Merriam, Co. purchased the rights to his "An American Dictionary of the English Language." Brothers George and Charles Merriam continued to refine Webster's dictionary, eventually creating the Merriam-Webster dictionary known and used today.

And did you know that, at the end of every year, many dictionaries share their favorite words of the year? Last year, Merriam-Webster's word of the year was "polarization, division into two sharply distinct opposites; especially, a state in which the opinions, beliefs, or interests of a group or society no longer range along a continuum but become concentrated at opposing extremes."

And every year, dictionaries announce the words they added during the year. Some of the words added during 2024 by Merriam-Webster included beach read, true crime, heat index, and nepo baby.

According to Gregory Barlow, President of Merriam-Webster, "The one constant of a vibrant living language is change. We continuously encounter new ways of describing the world around us, and the dictionary is a record of those changes."

SHARE THIS: A lexicographer edits and writes dictionaries. #FunFact #NationalDictionaryDay #DebbieLaskeysBlog

And according to Google, "For Dictionary Day, a fun dress-up theme involves choosing a word and creating a costume to represent it. Consider words like "athletic" (sports clothes), "delectable" (cupcake), "distracted" (thought bubbles), "celebratory" (party attire), or even more abstract concepts like "miscellaneous" (a costume with various random items attached to it) or "perennial" (a costime with flowers or plants)."

Lastly, according to NationalDayCalendar.com. "Celebrate by learning a new word or two! Play a fun dictionary-based game like Scrabble. While you celebrate, use #NationalDictionaryDay to post on social media."

Image Credit: Dreamstime.

Check out these posts on my blog about words and dictionaries:

Best Social Media Post of the Month for April 2025 (May 2025)

https://www.debbielaskeysblog.com/2025/05/best-social-media-post-of-month-for.html

Words and Terms that Told the Story of 2024 (January 2025)

https://www.debbielaskeysblog.com/2025/01/words-and-terms-that-told-story-of-2024.html

Words and Terms that Told the Story of 2023 (January 2024)

https://www.debbielaskeysblog.com/2024/01/words-and-terms-that-told-story-of-2023.html

Words and Terms that Told the Story of 2022 (January 2023)

https://www.debbielaskeysblog.com/2023/01/words-and-terms-that-told-story-of-2022.html

Do you know the story of the longest word in the English language?

https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/origin-supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

Words and Terms that Told the Story of 2024

While many marketing and news commentators (including this blogger) have talked about the people, food, brands, films, books, color, and notable deaths that made news during 2024, let's not forget the memorable words and terms that told the story of 2024.

MERRIAM-WEBSTER

According to Merriam-Webster's website, "Merriam-Webster's 2024 Word of the Year is polarization, which happens to be one idea that both sides of the political spectrum agree on. Search volume on Merriam-Webster.com throughout the year reflected the desire of Americans to better understand the complex state of affairs in our country and around the world.

We define polarization as "division into two sharply distinct opposites; especially, a state in which the opinions, beliefs, or interests of a group or society no longer range along a continuum but become concentrated at opposing extremes."

MSNBC observed that, "The 2024 presidential election has left our country more polarized than ever.” The word was also used to describe divides beyond the U.S. election, as when Forbes warned that in workplaces, "cultural polarization is becoming a pressing challenge."

DICTIONARY.COM

According to Dictionary.com's website, "Each year, Dictionary.com's Word of the Year and short-listed nominees capture pivotal moments in language and culture. These words serve as a linguistic time capsule, reflecting social trends and global events that defined the year. The Word of the Year isn't just about popular usage; it reveals the stories we tell about ourselves and how we've changed over the year. And for these reasons, Dictionary.com’s 2024 Word of the Year is "demure."

To select the 2024 Word of the Year, our lexicographers analyzed a large amount of data including newsworthy headlines, trends on social media, search engine results, and more to identify words that made an impact on our conversations, online and in the real world.

The word demure experienced a meteoric rise in usage in 2024. Between January and the end of August, this term saw a nearly 1200 percent increase in usage in digital web media alone. This sharp rise is mainly attributed to TikToker Jools Lebron's popularization of the phrase "very demure, very mindful" in a series of videos posted to the platform in early August.

Though the term demure has traditionally been used to describe those who are reserved, quiet, or modest, a new usage has spread through social media — one used to describe refined and sophisticated appearance or behavior in various contexts, such as at work or on a plane. This increased focus on public appearance and behavior comes at a time when employees are increasingly returning to offices after hybrid remote work following the pandemic."

OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS

According to Oxford University Press' website, "Following a public vote in which more than 37,000 people had their say, we're pleased to announce that the Oxford Word of the Year for 2024 is 'brain rot.' Our language experts created a shortlist of six words to reflect the moods and conversations that have helped shape the past year. After two weeks of public voting and widespread conversation, our experts came together to consider the public's input, voting results, and our language data, before declaring brain rot as the definitive Word of the Year for 2024. Our experts noticed that brain rot gained new prominence this year as a term used to capture concerns about the impact of consuming excessive amounts of low-quality online content, especially on social media. The term increased in usage frequency by 230 percent between 2023 and 2024.

Brain rot is defined as “the supposed deterioration of a person's mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging. Also: something characterized as likely to lead to such deterioration.

The first recorded use of brain rot was found in 1854 in Henry David Thoreau's book Walden, which reports his experiences of living a simple lifestyle in the natural world. As part of his conclusions, Thoreau criticizes society's tendency to devalue complex ideas, or those that can be interpreted in multiple ways, in favor of simple ones, and sees this as indicative of a general decline in mental and intellectual effort."

CAMBRIDGE DICTIONARY

The Cambridge Dictionary's word of the year for 2024 was "manifest," which means to use methods like visualization and affirmation to imagine achieving something you want. The word was chosen in part because of the controversial global trend of manifesting. It was looked up almost 130,000 times on the Cambridge Dictionary website, making it one of the most-viewed words of 2024. According to Cambridge Dictionary's website, "The word jumped from use in the self-help community and on social media to being widely used across mainstream media and beyond, as celebrities such as singer Dua Lipa, Olympic sprinter Gabby Thomas, and England striker Ollie Watkins spoke of manifesting their success in 2024. Mentions of it gained traction during the pandemic and have grown in the years since, especially on TikTok and other social media, where millions of posts and videos used the hashtag #manifest."

COLLINS DICTIONARY

Collins Dictionary has named "brat" as its 2024 word of the year for 2024, defining it as someone "characterized by a confident, independent, and hedonistic attitude." The dictionary credited British singer Charli XCX with making "brat" one of the most talked-about words in 2024. According to CNN Style, "Accompanied by a virulent shade of lime green, the sights and sounds of brat were everywhere to be found this year – including in US Vice President Kamala Harris' election campaign. In July, Charli XCX gave Harris her seal of approval, proclaiming on X: "kamala IS brat." Memes and t-shirts with Harris' name in the "brat" style followed."

THE ECONOMIST

In a striking commentary on global political trends, The Economist has declared "kakistocracy" as its Word of the Year for 2024. Defined as "government by the worst, least qualified, or most unscrupulous citizens," the term has gained significant traction in public discourse, reflecting widespread dissatisfaction with governance across various nations. The word has seen a resurgence in popular use, particularly on social media platforms, where hashtags such as #Kakistocracy and #LeadershipCrisis have trended during major political upheavals. The rise of kakistocracy in the global lexicon also reflects a deeper introspection among voters, who are increasingly vocal about the need for accountability, integrity, and meritocracy in public office.

MOST SEARCHED TERMS ON GOOGLE

According to the tech giant's annual list of top trending searches, the number one search term overall in the United States during 2024 was "election," followed by "Donald Trump," "Connections," "New York Yankees," and "Kamala Harris."

GLASSDOOR

According to HR Dive, "The 2024 word of the year is "divisive," according to Glassdoor's 2024 Best and Worst of Worklife wrap-up. In Glassdoor communities, mentions of the word "divisive" grew 33 percent during 2024, which the organization said was related to a range of issues, including election concerns, toxic workplaces, and shifts in company stances on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives."

GLICKED ENTERS THE LEXICON

While two summer blockbusters from 2023 created a new portmanteau (a word formed by combining the sounds and meanings of other words), "Barbenheimer" derived from BARBIE THE MOVIE and OPPENHEIMER, 2024's pre-Thanksgiving weekend saw the arrival of "Glicked" to promote WICKED and GLADIATOR II. According to CNN, "A lesson learned is that two very high-profile movies can go head-to-head, and both can thrive in the theatrical marketplace."

According to Yahoo Entertainment, "Celebrate "Glicked" by watching both movies either as a double feature or over the course of a weekend and dress the part donning something earthy and Romanesque for Gladiator II and either Galinda pink or Elphaba green for Wicked."

CALIFORNIA REMOVES THE WORD "SQUAW"

The state of California is removing the word "squaw," a derogatory term for indigenous women, from dozens of place names across 15 counties. According to CNN, "For decades, the names of more than 100 of the state's parks, buildings, streets, bridges, and other geographic features and locations have included the term, which is considered racist and offensive toward Native American women, according to a bill signed into law by California Governor Gavin Newsom in 2022. The updated place names were expected to go in effect by January 1, 2025. The upcoming changes are part of nationwide efforts to examine and replace derogatory terms on geographic features." 

SWIFT-ONOMICS

Two terms have appeared as a result of Taylor Swift's international fame: "Visitor Economy" and "Economic Fairy Dust" = the impact on local economies where she performs because visitors flock to each location's airports, hotels, restaurants, and more - and Swift dusts the cities with an economic boom.

KAMALA-MEMTUM

During the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August, upbeat Democrats rode a wave of "Kamalamemtum," or Kamala momentum.

NOVID

It may be nearly five years since the Corona Virus or Covid pandemic changed everyone's lives, but NOVID has become the term to stand for NEVER HAD COVID.

ADDITIONS TO MERRIAM-WEBSTER

During October, Merriam-Webster announced the addition of 200 new words and definitions. Some of the additions include: beach read, true crime, heat index, For You Page, nepo baby, far right, far left, and MAGA. According to Peter Sokolowski, Editor at Large for Merriam-Webster, "Our lexicographers monitor a huge range of sources to select which words and definitions to add. From academic journals to social media, these give us a very thorough view of the English language." And according to Gregory Barlow, President of Merriam-Webster, "The one constant of a vibrant living language is change. We continuously encounter new ways of describing the world around us, and the dictionary is a record of those changes."

During 2024, leadership expert Kevin Eikenberry wrote that five buzzwords lost their meaning. These buzzwords were synergy, alignment, leverage, collaboration, and culture. Eikenberry explained that, "when they become overused buzzwords, the cynicism in our minds mutes the power of the message." His suggestions for using these words to communicate effectively were: use them less often, choose synonyms, and define them again. He wrote, "Buzzwords exist and are a part of life. How we use them (or not) as a leader and communicator is entirely up to us. Choose how you use them wisely and your communication success will improve."

And, lastly, since this past year on December 25th, Christmas and Hannukah took place on the same day (for the fourth time since 1900), a new term appeared: Chrismukkah as a pop-culture portmanteau referring to the merging of the holidays of Christianity's Christmas and Judaism's Hanukkah.

As the famous writer Joseph Conrad wrote, "My task which I am trying to achieve is by the power of the written word, to make you hear, to make you feel - it is, before all, to make you see. That — and no more, and it is everything."

What words and terms will define 2025? We'll have to wait and see - but in the interim, join me on October 16th, 2025, to celebrate National Dictionary Day, which is celebrated on the birthday of Noah Webster. Browse through your dictionary in your free time and learn new words.

Image Credit: KHQ.

Curious as to which are the most misspelled words by State?

https://www.rd.com/article/most-misspelled-words/

Words and Terms that Told the Story of 2023

 

While many marketing and news commentators (including this blogger) have talked about the books, films, people, color, and notable deaths that made news during 2023, let's not forget the memorable words and terms that told the story of 2023.

MERRIAM-WEBSTER
Word of the year was AUTHENTIC, the term for something we're thinking about, writing about, aspiring to, and judging more than ever - and the word saw a substantial increase in lookups during 2023, driven by stories and conversations about AI, celebrity culture, identity, and social media. According to Merriam-Webster.com: "Authentic has a number of meanings including "not false or imitation," a synonym of real and actual; and also "true to one's own personality, spirit, or character."

Here were the other words that stood out in Merriam-Webster's dictionary during 2023:
* Rizz
* Deepfake
* Implode
* EGOT
* X
* Indict

OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
Word of the year was RIZZ, a noun meaning style, charm, or attractiveness; the ability to attract a romantic partner. The word has been credited to YouTuber Kai Cenat.

CAMBRIDGE DICTIONARY
Word of the year was HALLUCINATE. The traditional definition of hallucinate is to seem to see, hear, feel, or smell something that does not exist, usually because of a health condition or because you have taken a drug. The new, additional definition is: "When an artificial intelligence (= a computer system that has some of the qualities that the human brain has, such as, the ability to produce language in a way that seems human) hallucinates, it produces false information. AI hallucinations, also known as confabulations, sometimes appear nonsensical. But they can also seem entirely plausible – even while being factually inaccurate or ultimately illogical. AI hallucinations have already had real-world impacts. A US law firm used ChatGPT for legal research, which led to fictitious cases being cited in court. In Google’s own promotional video for Bard, the AI tool made a factual error about the James Webb Space Telescope."

Here were the other words that captured Cambridge Dictionary's interest during 2023:
* Implosion
* Ennui
* Grifter
* GOAT (Greatest of All Time)

COLLINS DICTIONARY
Word of the year was AI, a set of technologies that enable computers to perform a variety of advanced functions, including the ability to see, understand, and translate spoken and written language, analyze data, make recommendations, and more.

MOST SEARCHED TERM ON GOOGLE
As of December 2023, the most searched things on Google were "YouTube” and "Amazon." During 2023, the most searched person was Taylor Swift, and the most-asked question on Google was, "How many ounces in a cup?"

Here were some terms that arose again and again during conversations and news reports during 2023:

CHATGPT: The powerful new AI chatbot tool that has been trained on vast amounts of online data in order to generate responses to user prompts. While it has gained traction among users, it has also raised some concerns, including about inaccuracies and its potential to perpetuate biases and spread misinformation.

NEPO BABY: A celebrity with a parent who is also famous, especially one whose industry connections are perceived as essential to their success.

CONSORT: Once the United Kingdom's Prince Charles officially became King Charles III at his coronation in May 2023, his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall became known as Queen Camilla. In a branding move that surprised everyone, she dropped the word "Consort" from her title.

PETFLUENCER: A person who gains a large following on social media by posting entertaining images or videos of their cat, dog, or other pet.

SLOWCESSION: According to Moody's Analytics, despite predictions of a recession during 2023, "The more likely scenario was a slowcession, where growth grinds to a near halt but a full economic downturn is narrowly avoided."

As the famous writer Joseph Conrad wrote, "My task which I am trying to achieve is by the power of the written word, to make you hear, to make you feel - it is, before all, to make you see. That — and no more, and it is everything."

What words and terms will define 2024? Keep up with the news, and you may find some clues.


Image Credit: Elsaspeak.com.

Words and Terms that Told the Story of 2022

 

Many marketing and news commentators have talked about books and films of the year, person of the year, color of the year, and notable deaths of the year. However, let's not forget memorable words and terms of 2022.

DICTIONARY.COM
Word of the year was WOMAN, "one of the oldest words in the English language; one that's fundamental not just to our vocabulary but to who we are as humans. And yet it's a word that continues to be a source of intense personal importance and societal debate. It's a word that's inseparable from the story of 2022." During the Supreme Court confirmation hearing for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson in March 2022, she was asked, "Can you provide a definition for the word 'woman?'" She responded, "Not in this context - I'm not a biologist." In addition, women in Iran led massive demonstrations and became TIME Magazine's Heroes of the Year. And last but not least, the 1973 landmark decision Roe vs. Wade was overturned in June 2022.

MERRIAM-WEBSTER
Word of the year was GASLIGHTING, defined as "the act or practice of grossly misleading someone especially for one's own advantage."

OXFORD DICTIONARY
Term of the year was GOBLIN MODE, defined as "a type of behavior which is apologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations."

GLASSDOOR
Term of the year was RETURN-TO-OFFICE. Since many employees preferred working from home or working in a hybrid capacity, employers continued to have conversations with employees about returning to their offices. Calls for employees to be back at their desks were met with pushback.

MOST SEARCHED TERM ON GOOGLE
In both the United States and globally, the most-searched term was WORDLE, a five-letter guessing game owned by The New York Times. According to Google, its annual Year in Search examined "the moments, people, and trends that sparked our collective curiosity on the search platform," noting that Wordle was the "top trending search globally, as guessing five-letter words every day became a way of life."

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
The WHO renamed monkeypox as MPOX because the disease's original name played into "racist and stigmatizing language." Both names will be used simultaneously for one year while monkeypox is phased out. According to NPR, "The one-year delay is necessary so that publications and records can be updated, and the delay should ease experts' concerns about potential confusion over renaming a disease that's currently causing an outbreak."

In addition, MERRIAM-WEBSTER added many new words this past year. Here are some that stood out:

*Pumpkin spice (thanks to Starbucks and competing coffee shops)
*Metaverse (thanks to Facebook, or Meta)
*Booster dose (thanks to the Covid pandemic)
*Video doorbell (thanks to home security systems)

And some terms were part of everyday conversations and news reports during 2022:

*Great Resignation: This term was coined by Anthony Klotz, a professor of management at University College London's School of Management, in May 2021. But the Great Resignation is an ongoing economic trend in which employees have voluntarily resigned from their jobs en masse, beginning in early 2021 in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

*Quiet Quitting: an alternative to resigning. According to The New York Times, "It's a rejection of the idea that work has to take over your life and that you, as an employee, should be going above and beyond your role." While the term may be new, the behavior used to be called "presenteeism" and "lack of engagement." According to Marlene Chism, "It's a story about the unempowered employee and the giant corporation...The antidotes to quiet quitting is to face issues head on - to stop avoiding and start leading."

*Quiet Firing: when employers intentionally treat employees so badly that they will leave their job. Some examples include: being overlooked for meaningful tasks; lack of wage increases; decrease in communication/facetime with supervisors; workload at unmanageable levels; making work-life balance impossible to manage; and overall poor work environment.

As the famous writer Joseph Conrad wrote, "My task which I am trying to achieve is by the power of the written word, to make you hear, to make you feel - it is, before all, to make you see. That — and no more, and it is everything."

What words and terms will define 2023? We'll have to wait and see.


Image Credit: Calimedia via Shutterstock.com.

Tips to Establish Your Digital Brand

Over the last 12 years, thanks to social media, I have had the privilege to meet a variety of amazing marketing, leadership, and customer experience experts. One of these experts is Zen Yinger from North Carolina. We recently had a discussion about marketing, and highlights follow below Zen’s bio.

Zen Yinger is the CEO of ZenSocial, and as a digital marketer for over a decade, she loves to help technology and cybersecurity companies and C-Suite teams begin and scale their digital presence to become thought leaders within their industries. She also coaches entrepreneurs and professionals who are in the process of making a delayed entry into the digital world. She has been recognized in Onalytica’s Top 100 for Social Media Marketing Influencers and Top 100 PR Influencers. Also, she is passionate about #WomensAdvocacy #WomenSupportingWomen #HeForShe and #TechForGood. Her website is www.zenyinger.com; her Blog is www.zenyinger.com/blog; and she can be found on Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn/Instagram/Pinterest as Zen Yinger.

QUESTION: On your website, you wrote about the importance of, "Establishing your brand as an industry expert, promoting your thought leadership and keeping your communities, brand advocates, and clients coming back for more." What key ways do you recommend accomplishing this?
ZEN YINGER: When it comes to building your social authority, it’s all about ‘show – don’t just tell.’ By sharing relevant information, your thoughts, and insights consistently; engaging with your community by participating in social chats, and through meaningful engagement, you begin to build your community of peers, fans, brand advocates, and prospects who become clients. If you are genuine and do your best to help folks without the hope for a get (aka, something in return), you become a well-respected member of your community. As I discovered when I first began my journey with social media, “The Power Of Your Community Will Make Your Brand The Next Big Thing.” It was true a decade ago, and just as true today.

TWEET THIS: If you are genuine and do your best to help folks without the hope for a get, you become a well-respected member of your community. -@ZenYinger #DebbieLaskeysBlog

QUESTION: Many people remember the famous OREO Tweet during the 2013 Super Bowl. With that in mind, what's your favorite social media marketing campaign?
ZEN YINGER: B2C brands get a much better opportunity to use creativity and visual marketing to their advantage to connect with their audiences through high impact, high recall, social media marketing campaigns.

It’s time we see more B2B brands create high impact, high recall social media marketing campaigns. That said, I loved Coke’s #ShareACoke campaign and Dove’s #ShowYourself campaign with messages that were simple, yet they connected deeply with me. The Zoom Background Competition via Twitter last year was fun too.

QUESTION: What's your favorite marketing or social media buzzword, and why?
ZEN YINGER: I love:

#Organic Content: Non-paid branded content which is how brands used to post and engage on social media, to be social instead of “doing social” via paid content. Unfortunately, brands have to pay now for impressions and reach on most social networks, because social media algorithms have started showing only a tiny percentage of organic content to a brand’s community.

On Twitter, I often use #WomenSupportingWomen #HeForShe #MarketingTwitter #socialmedia #digitalmarketing and #Marketing hashtags. I also LOVE using emojis whenever relevant, especially during Twitter conversations (or in Twitter speak, convos).

QUESTION: What's your least-liked marketing or social media buzzword, and why?
ZEN YINGER: I do not like the buzzword #hustle that many marketers use. I prefer the word being in the "#flow," which is when we are working at our best using less energy, more receptive to creative solutions, achieve positive results and greater success.

QUESTION: What do you think will be the central focus of our social media marketing discussions a year from now?
ZEN YINGER: All through 2021-2022 and beyond, we are going to experience a marketing makeover with our digital world adapting to a post-pandemic target audience which has adapted to a new remote work or hybrid environments. People all over the world have developed new habits, with accompanying new wants and needs.

Brand marketers will need to do more social listening, engage more to understand, so they don’t drop the ball on clear and effective messaging to connect with their post-pandemic audience.

There will be a massive uptick in social media customer service, where even smaller brands will have to join the digital world and be available 24/7 if they want to keep their clients/customers happy. Almost everyone will have to become digitally savvy to navigate our ALWAYS ON digital world.

TWEET THIS: Brand marketers will need to do more social listening to connect with their post-pandemic audience. -@ZenYinger #BrandTip #DebbieLaskeysBlog

My thanks to Zen for sharing her social media marketing insights and for appearing here on my Blog.

Image Credit: Debbie Laskey.