The Word of the Year is.
We are writers here at WA. We are authors and content creators.
Therefore, language plays a big role in the success of our business. Without the written word, we can't get out our message - or make any sales.
A while ago, I published a post about 370 new words that had been recently added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. I didn't mention them all, but simply highlighted a few new terms that you might find useful or plain interesting.
So, I thought it would be appropriate to share what the new word of the year is for 2022, according to Merriam-Webster.
Do you have any guesses?
The word they have chosen is "gaslighting." The definition is: "the act or practice of grossly misleading someone especially for one’s own advantage." It can be used in a personal or political context. But we won't go any farther with that here.
With our world going more and more online, especially since the pandemic, there has been a 1740% increase in the amount of times the word has been looked up just this year!
Obviously, there are a lot of people searching this term.
Here's a piece of trivia for you. This word actually came from a movie title based on a story from 1938 about a man who tried to make his wife think she was losing her mind.
Long of the short is the lights kept going down in the attic and the husband made the wife think she shouldn't believe her own thoughts because she saw it differently. She must be crazy!
Imagine making a movie about this concept. Does art imitate life or life imitate art?
This word goes along with a lot of others we've recently heard: deepfake, misinformation, disinformation, artificial intelligence, conspiracies etc.
In recent times, gaslighting has become "the favored word for the perception of deception."
Some of the latest adds to the dictionary also include:
- laggy
- cringe
- virtue signaling
- dawn chorus
- surface wave
- mud season
- space force
- yeet
- adorkable
- lewk
- FWIW (for what it's worth)
I won't take your time explaining any of these, as you can look them up for yourself.
From colloquial words to urban slang, many more words that we hear in our travels are being added.
It will be curious to see what continues to be added in the upcoming months!
I'll keep you posted. To be continued...
Recent Comments
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Great post, Susan. Thank you. Ah! Gaslighting is a terrible thing.
You may like to know that the 1938 movie was based on the play written by Patrick Hamilton and set in the gaslight era of the late 1800s. I was actually in the play some years ago and played the frightened wife, Bella Manningham.
Hi Jenni! Thanks for sharing that. What a role that must have been to play. I appreciate learning about it…yes, seems we’re in the day when this is ever-present and unfortunate.
Hey, Susan
You have a great vocabulary!
For my guitar niche I just need phrases, like rockin’ it, cool, rad, bitchin - that’s pretty much my audience. 😎
Frank 🎸
Hi Frank! Thank you…yes, I know these words probably are not things many of us would need to use, but language is culturally significant. I get a kick out of quirky stuff. Your medical vocabulary would surely knock all our socks off! 😉😎🎸
Haha - You mean like: the leg bone's connected to the hip bone? 😵💫
Have a great day, Susan 😎
Frank 🎸
I have heard of virtue signaling because everyone's been doing that for the last two years.
Myra
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That word again!
Gaslighting. Funny how we get the aw moment when we learn the meaning of a word that we have been experiencing for so many years.
Many are not familiar with the word but can definitely connect with the symptoms and the associated experiences.
So glad that it IS the word of the year
We all need to be aware of this word and its meaning
Thank flying for this important highlight, Susan
Hi Simone…I had one of those moments too when I learned it’s meaning. Finally there’s a term to describe this behavior. I agree with everything you’ve said. Knowledge is power. I appreciate your comments. :-)
Knowledge is definitely power :)
Absolutely 👍🏻
Awesome :)