Collins word of the year

Collins Dictionary has named “Permacrisis” its word of the year for 2022, stating that the term sums up “how truly awful” it has been. Amid conflict, political upheaval and economic crises, political leaders have told the public to prepare for more of the same.

Defined by Collins as “an extended period of instability and insecurity, especially one resulting from a series of catastrophic events,” ‘Permacrisis’ was announced as the publisher’s word of the year on Tuesday.

The term “sums up just how truly awful 2022 has been for so many people,” said Alex Beecroft, the head of Collins Learning. According to Beecroft, the word aptly describes the feeling of “living through upheaval caused by Brexit, the pandemic, severe weather, the war in Ukraine, political instability, the energy squeeze and the cost-of-living crisis.”

In many respects, the world has been in a state of ‘Permacrisis’ for several years now. The coronavirus pandemic brought with it not just the threat of sickness and death, but draconian restrictions on personal freedom, enacted across the Western world.

Massive government spending during the pandemic triggered a spike in inflation, while sanctions imposed on Russia in response to its military operation in Ukraine deprived the West of vital energy supplies, exacerbating the soaring cost of living.

French President Emmanuel Macron declared in August that the world was facing a “series of crises,” and to prepare for “the end of abundance.” US President Joe Biden has warned his citizens that sanctioning Russia and arming Ukraine “will have costs for us,” and to prepare for the “real” prospect of food shortages.

Russian President Vladimir Putin sees 2022 as an inflection point, after which the collective West – economically crippled from propping up Ukraine – will lose its global dominance.

“We are standing at a historic milestone, ahead of what is probably the most dangerous, unpredictable and at the same time important decade since the end of World War II,” Putin declared in a speech last week. “The West is not able to single-handedly manage humanity, but is desperately trying to do it, and most of the peoples of the world no longer want to put up with it.” 

Alternatively, the Russian leader could have used one of the slang terms that made it onto Collins’ word of the year shortlist – ‘Vibe Shift’, meaning “a significant change in a prevailing cultural atmosphere or trend.”

The year 2022 is almost coming to an end, and like every other year, the revelation of the Words of the Year by Collins, Oxford, Merriam-Webster and Cambridge, has received a great deal of interest from around the world. ‘Goblin mode’ by Oxford, ‘permacrisis’ by Collins, ‘gaslighting’ by Merriam-Webster and ‘homer’ by Cambridge are the words of the year for 2022. 

The WOTY is usually that word or expression which manages to explode in frequency and usage throughout the year. The Collins English Dictionary comes with their Word of the Year every year since 2013 and it was ‘NFT‘ that made it to the top last year. 

While for Oxford and Cambridge it’s a matter of public opinion and their votes and searches, Merriam-Webster however publishes ten-word lists annually that are determined by an online poll from visitors to the website. And it’s mostly the word at the top that takes their crown for WOTY. 

2022 had numerous contenders for Word of the Year and Collins, Oxford, Merriam-Webster and Cambridge have already chosen their winners — the words were judged to reflect a distinctive spirit, one that leaves a lasting impression as a word of refinement and enlightenment.

Here are the Words of the Year 2022 by all four dictionaries 

Oxford’s Word of the Year — Goblin mode

Meaning: Oxford terms goblin mode as ‘a slang term.’ According to it, the word often describes “a type of behaviour which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations.”

Significance: According to Oxford, their Word of the Year for 2022, goblin mode encapsulates the current “mood of individuals who rejected the idea of returning to ‘normal life’, or rebelled against the increasingly unattainable aesthetic standards and unsustainable lifestyles exhibited on social media.”

The word first appeared on Twitter in 2009 and went viral on social media in February 2022.

Usage: This weekend I went into goblin mode and lazed around in my pyjamas eating popcorn while watching movies.

Collin’s Word of the Year — Permacrisis 

Meaning: Collins describes permacrisis (noun), as “an extended period of instability and insecurity”. 

Significance: The Collins dictionary Word of the Year 2022 heavily reflects the “ongoing crises the UK and the world have faced and continue to face.” These include political instability, ongoing wars, including the devastation caused in Ukraine, climate change and the depletion of cost-of-living. 

Usage: With permacrisis being the reality nowadays, staying alive is difficult indeed.

Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year — Gaslighting

Meaning: Merriam-Webster’s Word of the year 2022, gaslighting, was first used in the mid 20th century to refer to a kind of deception. The dictionary defines this use as, “psychological manipulation of a person usually over an extended period of time that causes the victim to question the validity of their own thoughts, perception of reality, or memories and typically leads to confusion, loss of confidence and self-esteem, uncertainty of one’s emotional or mental stability, and a dependency on the perpetrator.” 

However, the tides of time have made the meaning of gaslighting quite simpler and it is now understood as “the act or practice of grossly misleading someone, especially for a personal advantage,” by the dictionary.

Significance: There are numerous ways in English to describe a liar or to hint at a deceitful situation. However, Merriam-Webster believes that “the vast increase in channels and technologies used to mislead” has led to gaslighting becoming the “favoured word for the perception of deception.” Hence it sits on the top of their list of Word of the Year 2022. 

Usage: Amy’s husband knows gaslighting so well that he successfully made her think she was going cynical. 

Cambridge’s Word of the Year — Homer

Meaning: Cambridge defines homer, their Word of the Year for 2022, as “an informal American English word for a home run in baseball.”

Significance: It was nearly 75,000 times that users looked up homer on the Cambridge Dictionary website during the first week of May. Homer has become the dictionary’s “highest-spiking word of the year,” as per reports. And it all started with homer being an answer in the online word puzzle Wordle. 

Usage: The way he hit those 80 homers during the matches last season, he piqued the interest of non-baseball fans too.

(Main Image: Courtesy Joshua Hoehne/Unsplash, Featured Image: Courtesy Emmanuel Ikwuegbu/Unsplash)

Brexit, Covid, war, climate disasters, a tanking economy, political instability, global insecurity, a sense of impending doom. There’s a single word for this, and it has just become Collins Dictionary’s word of the year: permacrisis.

The word is defined as “an extended period of instability and insecurity”, which some may argue is an accurate summary of the past few years. Collins said it chose the word as it “sums up quite succinctly how truly awful 2022 has been for so many people”.

Permacrisis tops a list of 10 words, six of them new entries in the dictionary, which represent 2022, Collins said.

“Partygate” refers to the scandal of social gatherings in Downing Street during the pandemic, contravening public health rules and contrasting markedly with most people’s sense of isolation and loss.

“Kyiv” made the list after the name of the Ukrainian capital came to symbolise the country’s stand against Russian aggression.

“Warm bank” describes a building such as a public library or place of worship that is opening its doors over the winter months to provide a welcoming space for people struggling to heat their homes due to spiralling energy costs.

The growing practice of “quiet quitting” – doing basic duties at work but no more, in rejection of competitive careerism and out-of-hours emails – made the cut, as did “vibe shift”, meaning a “significant change in the prevailing atmosphere or culture”.

“Carolean” refers to the new monarchical era after the end of the second Elizabethan age this year and the accession of King Charles. “Lawfare” is the strategic use of legal proceedings to intimidate or hinder an opponent.

Humankind’s four-legged friends contributed the term “splooting” – the act of lying flat on the stomach on a cool surface with legs stretched out as a way of countering unusually high temperatures. Cats, dogs, cows, polar bears and squirrels have been spotted splooting on social media throughout 2022.

The final word is “sportswashing”, a term for organisations and countries that use sports activities to enhance their reputations or distract from unacceptable policies. Qatar, the host of the 2022 football World Cup starting this month, has been accused of sportswashing after concerns over the mistreatment of migrant labour, homophobia and freedom of expression.

The list reflected “the state of the world right now”, said Alex Beecroft, the managing director of Collins Learning.

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“Language can be a mirror to what is going on in society and the wider world and this year has thrown up challenge after challenge.

“It is understandable that people may feel, after living through upheaval caused by Brexit, the pandemic, severe weather, the war in Ukraine, political instability, the energy squeeze and the cost-of-living crisis, that we are living in an ongoing state of uncertainty and worry.”

Collins Dictionary monitors its 18bn-word database and a range of media sources, including social media, to create an annual list of new and notable words.

“Permacrisis,” which is defined as “an extended period of instability and insecurity” by the publisher, is one of a handful of words relating to the challenges posed by climate change, the war in Europe, a cost-of-living crisis and, in many quarters, political chaos. It was first used in academic contexts in the 1970s, according to Collins, but has seen a spike in use in recent months.

“It was very apparent this year that the conversation was dominated by crisis,” Helen Newstead, language content consultant at Collins Dictionary, told The Washington Post.

Her team looks at the “Collins Corpus,” a database of 18 billion words, in making its choice, as well as taking “snapshots” at intervals throughout the year to analyze newspapers and social media among other sources, she said, to find new words and increased usage.

“Permacrisis,” Newstead said, encapsulates “lurching from one crisis to another without really drawing breath.”

“I think it does resonate … as something everyone can relate to,” she said.

“There hasn’t been a huge amount to celebrate,” she continued, noting that the word of the year captures “the way we’re all feeling at the moment, sadly.”

In 2020, Collins picked “lockdown” as its word of the year amid the deadly coronavirus pandemic. Last year, it opted for “NFT,” a non-fungible token, which is a unique digital representation of a good — usually art — akin to a certificate of authenticity or a deed.

Another word to make the list this year was “Partygate,” referring to the British scandal over social gatherings held by former prime minister Boris Johnson and his colleagues at No. 10. Downing Street, in defiance of government-imposed restrictions.

“Carolean,” the formal name for the new era of King Charles III following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II in September, also is on the list.

“Quiet quitting” also made the list and has gained popularity, according to the dictionary. It defines the movement, mostly by younger Gen Z and millennial workers, to renounce hustle culture by undertaking to work no more than contractually obliged to, and to spend more time on quality-of-life pursuits.

Newstead said the word had gone “viral” and “struck a chord,” especially after the pandemic, “when we all had a existential crisis” and sought to reshape the rules of the workplace and prioritize work-life balance.

The “cute-sounding” word “splooting” also made the dictionary’s list, denoting a position taken up by animals in the heat as they splay their legs and arms to cool down, delighting pet owners and onlookers.

Word such as “vibe shift,” “lawfare” and “sportswashing” were among others that made the Collins list.

“Language can be a mirror to what is going on in society,” Alex Beecroft, managing director of Collins Learning, said in a statement, adding that 2022 had “thrown up challenge after challenge.”

“Our list this year reflects the state of the world right now — not much good news,” Beecroft added, citing rising energy prices, severe weather and lingering impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

Work will begin in the second half of next year, Newstead said, to come up with the word that defines our preoccupations in 2023.