The American Dialect Society's Word of the Year are voted at the January American Dialect Society conference. The first year for which the word of the year was voted by the ADS was 1990.[1]
Lists
editEuphemism of the Year
edit1993 | street builder | a homeless person who constructs a shanty. |
1994 | challenged | indicating an undesirable or unappealing condition. |
1995 | patriot | one who believes in using force of arms if necessary to defend individual rights against the government. |
1996 | urban camping | living homeless in a city |
food insecure | said of a country where people are starving. | |
1997 | exit bag | bag placed over the head to assist in suicide. |
1998 | senior moment | momentary lapse of memory due to age. |
1999 | compassionate conservative | |
2000 | courtesy call | an uninvited call from a telemarketer. |
2001 | daisy cutter | large bomb that explodes a few feet above the ground. |
2002 | regime change | forced change in leadership. |
2003 | pre-emptive self-defense | attack before a possible attack on oneself. |
2004 | badly sourced | false. |
2005 | internal nutrition | force-feeding a prisoner. |
2006 | waterboarding | an interrogation technique in which the subject is immobilized and doused with water to simulate drowning; reported to be used by U.S. interrogators against terrorism detainees. |
2007 | human terrain team | a group of social scientists employed by the US military to serve as cultural advisers in Iraq or Afghanistan. |
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. Follows on a statement by South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, who went to Argentina to visit his mistress. |
2010 | kinetic event | Pentagon term for violent attacks on troops in Afghanistan. 84/WINNER |
2011 | job creator | a member of the top one-percent of moneymakers. 111 WINNER |
2012 | self-deportation | policy of encouraging illegal immigrants to return voluntarily to their home countries 142 WINNER |
2013 | least untruthful | involving the smallest necessary lie (used by intelligence director James Clapper). 121 |
2014 | EIT | abbreviation for the already euphemistic “enhanced interrogation technique.” 108/139 |
2015 | Netflix and chill | sexual come-on masked as a suggestion to watch Netflix and relax. 315 |
2016 | locker-room banter | lewd, vulgar talk (used by Trump to downplay Access Hollywood tape), |
2017 | alternative facts | Contrary information that matches one’s preferred narrative or interpretation of events. |
2018 | racially charged | circumlocution for “racist” 223 |
2019 | people of means | rich people (used by Starbucks executive Howard Schultz to refer to himself and fellow billionaires) |
2020 | essential (workers, labor, businesses) | used for people, often underpaid, who are actually treated as expendable because they are required to work and thus risk infection from coronavirus |
2021 | unalive | term used as a substitute for “suicide” or “kill” to avoid social media filters |
2022 | special military operation | Russian designation for invasion of Ukraine 50/121 |
Most Useful
edit1990 | potty parity | equalization of toilet facilities for the sexes. |
1997 | duh (with a falling intonation) | expression of someone else’s stupidity. |
2000 | civil union | legal same-sex marriage. |
2002 | google (verb) | as in “to google someone, ” to search the Web using the search engine Google for information on a person or thing. |
2003 | flexitarian | vegetarian who occasionally eats meat. |
2004 | phish | to induce someone to reveal private information by means of deceptive e-mail. |
2005 | podcast | audio or video file for downloading. |
2006 | climate canary | an organism or species whose poor health or declining numbers hint at a larger environmental catastrophe on the horizon. |
2007 | green– prefix/compounding form | designates environmental concern, as in greenwashing. |
2008 | Barack Obama | both names as combining forms. |
2009 | fail | A noun or interjection used when something is egregiously unsuccessful. Usually written as “FAIL!” |
2010 | nom | Onomatopoetic form connoting eating, esp. pleasurably. Can be used as an interjection or noun to refer to delicious food. 49/72 WINNER |
2011 | humblebrag | expression of false humility, especially by celebrities on Twitter. 87/121 WINNER |
2012 | -(po)calypse, -(ma)geddon | hyperbolic combining forms for various catastrophes 66/115 WINNER |
2013 | because | introducing a noun, adjective, or other part of speech (e.g., “because reasons,” “because awesome”). 64/117 |
2014 | even | deal with or reconcile difficult situations or emotions (from “I can’t even”). 133 |
2015 | they | gender-neutral singular pronoun for a known person, particularly as a nonbinary identifier. 214 |
2017 | die by suicide | A variant of “to commit suicide” that does not suggest a criminal act. |
2018 | Voldemorting | avoiding mention of unpleasant person or topic by using a replacement term 114 |
2020 | Before Times | the time before the beginning of the pandemic (followed by Now Times or After Times) |
2021 | hard pants | pants that lack an elastic waistband or stretchy fabric, unlike the “soft pants” favored by those working from home during the pandemic |
Most Likely to Succeed
edit1990 | notebook PC | a portable personal computer weighting 4-8 pounds |
1991 | rollerblade | skate with rollers in a single row. |
1992 | snail mail | s-mail, mail that is physically delivered, as opposed to e-mail. |
1993 | quotative like with a form of the verb be to indicate speech or thought. | |
1995 | World Wide Web, the Web, WWW, W3. | |
1996 | drive-by | designating brief visits or hospital stays. |
1997 | DVD | Digital Versatile Disk, optical disk expected to replace CDs. |
2000 | muggle | Harry Potter term for a non-wizard; a mundane, unimaginative person. |
2001 | 9-11. | |
2002 | blog | from “weblog, ” a website of personal events, comments, and links. |
2003 | SARS | Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, viral disease first reported in Asia in February. |
2004 | red/blue/purple states. | |
2005 | sudoku | number puzzle from Japan. |
2006 | YouTube as a verb | to use the YouTube web site or to have a video of one’s self be posted on the site. |
2009 | twenty-ten | A pronunciation of the year 2010, as opposed to saying “two thousand ten” or “two thousand and ten.” (twenty- as prefix until 2099) |
2010 | trend | Verb: to exhibit a burst of online buzz. 73/WINNER |
2011 | cloud | online space for the large-scale processing and storage of data. 155 WINNER |
2012 | marriage equality | legal recognition of same-sex marriage 156 WINNER |
2013 | binge-watch | to consume vast quantities of a single show or series of visual entertainment in one sitting. 117 |
2014 | salty | exceptionally bitter, angry, or upset. 78/131 |
2015 | ghost | (verb) abruptly end a relationship by cutting off communication, especially online. 223 |
2017 | fake news | Disinformation or falsehoods presented as real news. Actual news that is claimed to be untrue. |
2018 | single-use | made to be used only once and destroyed 101/149 |
2020 | antiracism | the practice of actively working to prevent or combat racism |
2021 | antiwork | position supporting the refusal to work, pushing back against labor exploitation |
Least Likely to Succeed
edit1998 | compfusion | confusion over computers. |
2000 | kablokeys | used in phrases like “It scared the kablokeys out of me.” |
2001 | Osamaniac | woman sexually attracted to terrorist Osama bin Laden. |
2003 | tomacco | poisonous hybrid of tomato and tobacco. Best Revival of an old term |
2004 | FLOHPA | Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, important states in the 2004 presidential election. |
2005 | pope-squatting | registering a likely domain name of a new pope before the pope chooses his new name in order to profit from it. |
2006 | grup | a Gen-Xer who does not act his or her age. |
2007 | strand-in | protest duplicating being stranded inside an airplane on a delayed flight. |
2008 | PUMA | An acronym for Party Unity My Ass,used by Democrats who were disaffected after Hillary Clinton failed to secure a sufficient number of delegates. It was later said to stand for Party Unity Means Action. |
2009 | Any name of the decade 2000-2009, such as Naughties, Aughties, Oughties, etc. | |
2010 | culturomics | Research project from Google analyzing the history of language and culture 44/85 WINNER |
2011 | brony | adult male fan of the “My Little Pony” cartoon franchise. 103 WINNER |
2012 | phablet | mid-sized electronic device between a smartphone and a tablet 76/92 WINNER |
2012 | YOLO | acronym for “You Only Live Once,” often used sarcastically or self-deprecatingly79/91 WINNER |
2013 | Thanksgivukkah | confluence of Thanksgiving and the first day of Hanukkah that will not be repeated for another 70,000 years. 159 |
2014 | platisher | online media publisher that also serves as a platform for creating content. 173 |
2015 | sitbit | device that rewards sedentary lifestyle (play on Fitbit fitness tracker). 102 / 191 |
Digital Word of the Year
edit2016 | @ | (verb) reply on Twitter using the @ symbol. 155 |
2017 | shitpost | Posting of worthless or irrelevant online content intended to derail a conversation or to provoke others. |
2018 | techlash | backlash against tech innovators 92/113 |
2019 | im🍑 | emoji representation of “impeach” |
2020 | doomscrolling | obsessively scanning social media and websites for bad news |
2021 | #FreeBritney | hashtag for those supporting the release of Britney Spears from the conservatorship set up by her father 13 years ago |
2022 | -dle | suffix for Wordle-like games (Heardle, Absurdle, Foodle, Worldle, Redactle, etc.) |
Emoji of the Year
edit2015 | 🍆 | eggplant (sexual innuendo). 138 |
2016 | 🔥 | fire (“lit,” exciting); also used in dumpster fire. 201 |
2017 | 🧕 | woman with head scarf or hijab. |
2018 | 🤔 | thinking face (indicating bemused pondering) |
2020 | 😷 | indicating mask-wearing during the pandemic |
2022 | 💀 | expressing figurative death (from laughter, frustration, etc.) |
Hashtag of the Year
edit2014 | #blacklivesmatter | protest over blacks killed at the hands of police (esp. Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., Eric Garner in Staten Island). 226 |
2015 | #SayHerName | call to bring attention to violence against women of color. 178 |
2016 | #NoDAPL | protest against construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. 198 |
2017 | #MeToo | Indication by women that they have experienced sexual harassment or assault. |
2018 | #nottheonion | reporting something true that seems like satire from The Onion 96 |
Most Original
edit1990 | voice merging | the oral tradition of African-American preachers using another’s words. |
1991 | molecular pharming | pharming, genetically modifying farm animals to produce human proteins for pharmaceutical use. |
1992 | Franken- | genetically altered. |
1995 | postal or go postal | to act irrationally, often violently, from stress at work. |
1996 | prebuttal | preemptive rebuttal. |
1997 | prairie dogging | popping one’s head above an office cubicle for the sake of curiosity. |
1998 | multislacking | playing at the computer when one should be working. |
1999 | cybersquat | to register a web address intending to sell it at a profit. |
Most Creative
edit2000 | dot bomb | a failed dot-com. |
2001 | shuicide bomber | terrorist with bomb in shoes. |
2002 | Iraqnophobia | strong fear of Iraq. |
2003 | freegan | person who eats only free food. |
2004 | pajamahadeen | bloggers who challenge and fact-check traditional media. |
2005 | whale-tail | the appearance of thong or g-string underwaear above the waistband. |
2006 | lactard | a person who is lactose-intolerant. |
2007 | googlegänger | a person with your name who shows up when you google yourself. |
2008 | recombobulation area | an area at Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee in which passengers that have just 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. 45/65 WINNER |
2011 | Mellencamp | a woman who has aged out of being a “cougar” (after John Cougar Mellencamp). 103 WINNER |
2012 | gate lice | airline passengers who crowd around a gate waiting to board 53/93 WINNER |
2013 | catfish | to misrepresent oneself online, especially as part of a romantic deception. 62/94 |
2014 | columbusing | cultural appropriation, especially the act of a white person claiming to discover things already known to minority cultures. 158 |
2015 | ammosexual | someone who loves firearms in a fetishistic manner. 153 |
2016 | laissez-fairydust | magical effect brought upon by laissez-faire economics. 152 |
2017 | broflake | Man or boy who lacks resilience or coping skills in the face of disagreements or setbacks. |
2018 | white-caller crime | phenomenon of white people calling police on black people for doing mundane things 158 |
2019 | nobody: | phrasal template mocking someone providing an unsolicited opinion |
Most Outrageous
edit1990 | politically correct, PC | adhering to principles of left-wing social concern. |
1992 | ethnic cleansing | purging of ethnic minorities. |
1993 | whirlpooling | assault of a female by a male group in a swimming pool. |
1995 | starter marriage | a first marriage not expected to be the last. |
1996 | toy soldier | land mine. |
1997 | Florida flambe | fire caused by Florida electric chair. |
1998 | Ejaculation Proclamation | the President’s confession. |
1999 | humanitarian intervention | use of military force for humanitarian purposes. |
2000 | wall humping | rubbing a thigh against a security card scanner to allow access without removing the card from one’s pocket. |
2001 | assoline | methane used as fuel. |
2002 | neuticles | fake testicles for neutered pets. |
2003 | cliterati | feminist writers or leaders. |
2004 | santorum | byproduct of anal sex, using the name of a senator opposed to the practice. |
2005 | crotchfruit | a child or children. |
2006 | Cambodian accessory | Angelina Jolie’s adopted child who is Cambodian. |
2007 | toe-tapper | A homosexual. Senator Larry Craig was arrested in June for an encounter in a public restroom in which toe-tapping was said to have been used as a sexual come-on. |
2008 | terrorist fist jab | A knuckle-to-knuckle fist bump,or “dap,” traditionally performed between two black people as a sign of friendship, celebration or agreement. It was called the “terrorist fist jab” by the newscaster E. D. Hill, formerly of Fox News. |
2009 | death panel | A supposed committee of doctors and/or bureaucrats who would decide which patients were allowed to receive treatment, ostensibly leaving the rest to die |
2010 | gate rape | Pejorative term for invasive new airport pat-down procedure. 55/67 WINNER |
2011 | assholocracy | rule by obnoxious multi-millionaires. 166 WINNER |
2012 | legitimate rape | type of rape that Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin claimed rarely results in pregnancy 156 WINNER |
2013 | underbutt | the underside of buttocks, made visible by certain shorts or underwear. 54/110 |
2014 | second-amendment | v. to kill (someone) with a gun, used ironically by gun control supporters. 192 |
2015 | fuckboy, fuckboi | derogatory term for a man who behaves objectionably or promiscuously. 127 / 173 |
Most Unnecessary
edit1990 | peace dividend | anticipated saving in military spending due to improved relations with the Soviet Union. |
1991 | massively parallel | many small computers yoked together. |
1992 | gender feminism | belief that sex roles are social, not biological. |
1993 | mosaic culture to describe a multicultural society. | |
1995 | Vanna White shrimp | large shrimp for the restaurant market. |
1996 | Mexican hustle | another name for the Macarena (which is not Mexican). |
1997 | heaven-o | replacement for “hello.” |
1998 | the entire Monica Lewinsky word family | including Big She as a synonym for M.L., and the verb Lewinsky, to engage in what might be sexual relations. |
1999 | Milly | dance commissioned by the city of Chicago for the millennium. |
2000 | sudden loss of wealth syndrome. | |
2001 | impeachment nostalgia | longing for the superficial news of the Clinton era. |
2002 | wombanization | feminization, from Alexander Barnes’s book “The Book Read Backwards: The Deconstruction of Patriarchy and the Wombanization of Being.” |
2003 | freedom | for “French” as in fries and kisses. |
2004 | stalkette | a female stalker. |
2005 | K Fed | Kevin Federline, Mr. Britney Spears. |
2006 | SuriKat | the supposed nickname of the baby girl of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. |
2009 | sea kittens | fish (according to PETA) |
2010 | refudiate | Blend of refute and repudiate used by Sarah Palin on Twitter. 72/WINNER |
2011 | bi-winning | term used by Charlie Sheen to describe himself pridefully, dismissing accusations of being bipolar. 77/156 WINNER |
2012 | legitimate rape | type of rape that Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin claimed rarely results in pregnancy 94 WINNER |
2013 | sharknado | a tornado full of sharks, as featured in the Syfy Channel movie of that name. 162 |
2014 | baeless | without a romantic partner (lacking a bae). 96/133 |
2015 | manbun | man’s hairstyle pulled up in a bun. 207 |
2007 | Happy Kwanhanamas! | [Kwanza + Hanukka + Christmas] Happy holidays! |
2008 | moofing | from “mobile out of office,” meaning working on the go with a laptop and cell phone. Created by a PR firm. |
Political Word of the Year
edit2016 | post-truth | belonging to a time in which facts matter less than beliefs and emotions.133/164 |
2017 | take a knee | Kneel in protest, especially during a time when others are standing. |
2018 | (the) wall | proposed barrier along the US/Mexico border to prevent illegal crossings 102/168 |
2019 | quid pro quo | exchange of favors (central to Trump/Ukraine impeachment scandal) |
2020 | abolish/defund | verbs used (at times hyperbolically) to call for drastic restructuring or reforming of law enforcement in the aftermath of the George Floyd police killing |
2021 | insurrection | violent attempt to take control of the government, applied to the Capitol attack of Jan. 6, 2021 |
2022 | Dark Brandon | sinister, powerful alter ego of Joe Biden (play on “Let’s Go Brandon”) |
WTF Word of the Year
edit2016 | bigly | in a significant manner (from widespread mishearing of Trump’s use of big-league). 159 |
2017 | covfefe | A (probably) mistyped word of unknown meaning used in a Donald Trump tweet. |
2018 | deleted family unit | bureaucratic term that referred to asylum-seeking families whose children were removed 95 |