Results: It's Your Word Against Mine
1.
1.
As 2017 draws to a close, the year end "Best Of" lists are coming out. And as they do every year, the Oxford Dictionary, Dictionary.com and Merriam-Webster Dictionary have come out with their "Words of the Year". The Oxford Dictionary's word for 2017 is "YOUTHQUAKE" while Merriam-Webster's word is "FEMINISM", and Dictionary.com's word is "COMPLICIT". Which word do you think deserves to be the official word of the year?
YOUTHQUAKE -- defined as a significant cultural, political, or social change arising from the actions or influence of young people
10%
•
159 votes
FEMINISM -- defined as the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes and as the organized activity on behalf of women's rights and interests.
20%
•
322 votes
COMPLICIT-- defined as choosing to be involved in an illegal or questionable act, especially with others; having partnership or involvement in wrongdoing.
19%
•
312 votes
None of them
51%
•
813 votes
2.
2.
Merriam-Webster and Dictionary.com base their words of the year on the top words looked up and searched on the internet. In fact Merriam-Webster's second runner up for word of the year was also 'complicit". Here are some other words that came close, but not close enough to make the top spot. Do you think any of these words would be better for the top spot this year?
Recuse -- to disqualify (oneself) as judge in a particular case and to remove (oneself) from participation to avoid a conflict of interest
14%
•
218 votes
Empathy -- the ability to share another person's feelings
31%
•
490 votes
Dotard -- a person in his or her dotage (dotage is a state or period of senile decay marked by decline of mental poise and alertness)
10%
•
163 votes
Syzygy -- the nearly straight-line configuration of three celestial bodies (such as the sun, moon, and earth during a solar or lunar eclipse) in a gravitational system
7%
•
117 votes
Gyro -- a sandwich especially of lamb and beef, tomato, onion, and yogurt sauce on pita bread
10%
•
168 votes
Federalism -- the distribution of power in an organization (such as a government) between a central authority and the constituent units
7%
•
120 votes
Hurricane - a tropical cyclone with winds of 74 miles (119 kilometers) per hour or greater that occurs especially in the western Atlantic, that is usually accompanied by rain, thunder, and lightning, and that sometimes moves into temperate latitudes
21%
•
340 votes
Gaffe -- noticeable mistake
27%
•
429 votes
3.
3.
In 2004, Oxford Dictionaries was one of the first institutions to launch a Word of the Year. So, why do we need a word of the year? Well, simply put, for Oxford Dictionary, it's a word that encapsulates the entire year in one word, and that's always fun. Also, we have a movie of the year, song of the year, news maker of the year, so why not a word of the year. Here are some of Oxford Dictionary's previous year's words. Have you ever used any of these words?
POST TRUTH -- in 2016, this word saw a spike in the context of the EU referendum in the United Kingdom and the presidential election in the United States.
6%
•
94 votes
'Face with Tears of Joy' EMOJI -- in 2015, a pictograph made the top spot, when their use, and use of the word emoji, increased hugely.
12%
•
188 votes
VAPE -- in 2014, this word reflected the huge trend of e-cigarettes and maybe it was a weak "word" year?
20%
•
314 votes
SELFIE -- in 2013, this word was the unanimous winner reflecting this growing (and still growing) trend
36%
•
580 votes
GIF -- in 2012, these were everywhere, gaining traction as a verb, not just a noun
17%
•
274 votes
None of these
46%
•
734 votes
4.
4.
And just like the "word of the year", there is now the "most overused" words of the year, and words we would all like to officially kick to the curb. How many of these words do you also wish would "just go away"?
WHATEVER
34%
•
551 votes
FAKE NEWS
37%
•
587 votes
NO OFFENSE, BUT...
18%
•
284 votes
LITERALLY
19%
•
307 votes
YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN...
20%
•
314 votes
LIT
13%
•
205 votes
SNOWFLAKE
13%
•
203 votes
TOTES
11%
•
182 votes
BIGLY
20%
•
326 votes
SUH
17%
•
265 votes
None
24%
•
378 votes
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