Word of the Year

With less than a month left until January, Merriam-Webster has chosen its 2024 Word of the Year, one that has often defined the political landscape of the United States and its candidates.

The word, the book company reported, is polarization, and it was one of the most searched words of 2024.

“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,” the book company said on its website.

The definition of polarization, according to Merriam-Webster, is “division into two sharply distinct opposites … 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 word was also used quite often in media reports surrounding the 2024 presidential election.

Examples include:

• Fox News – “Vance’s debate answer on immigration crisis shows voter polarization.”
• MSNBC – “The 2024 presidential election has left our country more polarized than ever.”
• Forbes – “Cultural polarization is becoming a pressing challenge.”

According to Merriam-Webster, polarization and the verb polarize date back to the early 1800s. It was used when describing light waves.

The physical definition of polarize, to cause to vibrate in a definite pattern, morphed into the term’s meaning in the political and cultural spheres as we know it today.

Other notable terms on Merriam-Webster’s 2024 list
According to Merriam-Webster, other terms that were heavily searched for in 2024 include totality, demure and more.

The full list includes:

Totality, the phase of an eclipse during which it is total, or the state of total eclipse. This word gained traction in April when the moon passed in front of the sun and cast a shadow, creating a total solar eclipse across a path in 13 states, including Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and Pennsylvania. Commentary on the eclipse led to many people hearing the word for the first time, Merriam-Webster said on its website.

Demure, reserved or modest in manner. According to Merriam-Webster, when demure was first used in the 14th century, it described people who didn’t draw attention to themselves. On Aug. 5, TikToker Jools Lebron posted a video where she asked “See how I do my makeup for work?” She then added “Very demure. Very mindful.” The phrase inspired tons of memes and posts and brands even joined in on the trend. Dictionary.com also named demure its Word of the Year for 2024, noting that between January and August, there was an increase of almost 1200% in digital web usage.

Fortnight, a primarily British word meaning a period of 14 days or two weeks. The word has been used for more than 700 years but Taylor Swift’s song “Fortnight” led many curious listeners to look up the word, Merriam-Webster said. “It remains to be seen whether Swift’s use of the term will lead to its wider adoption in American English,” the book company added.

Pander, to say, do, or provide what someone wants or demands even though it is not proper, good, or reasonable. Folks began searching for the word pander more in mid-October, when Democrats and Republicans mocked each other leading up to the presidential election. Conservatives argued that Vice President Kamala Harris was pandering to young voters, Black voters and gun rights supporters, while Tim Walz said Donald Trump’s visit to a fast food restaurant was proof he would “pander and disrespect McDonald’s workers.”

Resonate, to affect or appeal to someone in a personal or emotional way. Searches for the word resonate spiked when ChatGPT identified it as a favorite. The term was also used quite often in news articles about political positions and issues that mean most to voters.

Allision, the act or an instance of a ship striking a stationary object (such as another ship that is not underway). The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed in March when the container ship Dali ran into it, leading to the death of six construction workers, damages to Interstate 695 and interrupted port operations for months, Merriam-Webster said. While many news sources called the event a collision, marine publications used the term allision. According to Merriam-Webster, an allision happens when a ship runs into a stationary object, while a collision occurs when two moving objects collide. “Collision and collide are commonly used to refer to such matters as a ship striking a bridge, or any object striking a stationary object, and we consider the use of collision in this context appropriate and correct,” Merriam-Webster wrote.

Weird, of strange or extraordinary character. The term weird saw an uptick in use when in July, Tim Walz referred to “weird people on the other side.”

Cognitive, of, relating to, being or involving conscious intellectual activity (such as thinking, reasoning or remembering). The presidential election led to more people searching for the word cognitive, according to Merriam-Webster. In late February, the public got word that President Biden’s annual physical did not include a “cognitive test,” then his appearance at the debate in July led to much concern about his “cognitive ability.” More people began searching for the word in October when news outlets began reporting on Donald Trump’s “cognitive decline.”

Democracy, a form of government in which the people elect representatives to make decisions, policies, laws, etc. according to law. According to Merriam-Webster, people searched for the term democracy throughout the year in order to “fully understand what it means—and to challenge, celebrate, and protect it.”
Outside of Merriam-Webster, Oxford also named its Word of the Year recently: “brain rot.” The noun is used to describe the deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, sometimes seen a symptom of consuming too much material, specifically online content.