Merriam-Webster has unveiled its Word of the Year for 2024.
Photo: Merriam-Webster/Website
The English dictionary has named polarization as its Word of the Year, a term that references the current political landscape in the United States.
According to their website, polarization is defined as the “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.”
The publisher also highlighted notable examples where the term polarization has been used in the media, specifically mentioning how Fox News and MSNBC have incorporated the word to describe the growing divides between voters and politicians in the United States.
The term polarization, along with its verb form polarize, dates back to the early 1800s. Initially, it was used to describe light waves, meaning “to cause to vibrate in a definite pattern,” which eventually evolved into its current political and cultural connotation.
The leading English dictionary also listed other words that stood out in its lookup data, including totality, demure, fortnight, pander, resonate, allision, weird, cognitive, and democracy.
In 2023 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year was authentic, driven by increased online searches related to artificial intelligence, celebrity culture, and social media.
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