AUTHENTIC
That's your Word Of The Year, ladies and gentlemen. Let's now take a look at the Words that AUTHENTIC beat out. These words also spiked the lookup data, but are also-rans:
1. RIZZ: slang for romantic appeal; possibly short for Charisma. (never once heard/read this out on the wild)
2. KIBBUTZ: communal farm or settlement in Israel. (this has a sad reason for being in the news lately; I already knew what this was from my reading)
3. IMPLODE: to burst inward. (probably spiked during the Titanic submersible tragedy; I thought this was a fairly common word)
4. DEADNAME: the name a transgender person was given at birth and no longer uses upon transitioning. (this is a term that I learned from being an ally and trying to educate myself)
5. DOPPELGANGER: a double; a lookalike. (it's so fun to say! I think it also has some nuance, like the double can also be your alter ego or opposite personality)
6. CORONATION: the act or occasion of crowning, as a royal. (probably spiked during the ascension of King Charles)
7. DEEPFAKE: a manipulated recording/video made to look like someone or something did/said something they did not. (these things are scary, and I worry about the election cycle and social media platforms like fb and Xitter, which are not very responsible or discerning)
8. DYSTOPIAN: relating to an imagined state of intense human suffering and misery, usually brought upon by injustice and inhumanity. (I think we can all imagine why this word spiked)
9. COVENANT: a formal, solemn, and binding agreement. ( Lots of talk of covenant marriages--a Supreme Court Justice has one, the new Speaker of the House has one, and the latter even uses a software app called Covenant Eyes to track his and his son's porn viewing and report back to each other. Not creepy at all!)
10. INDICT: to formally accuse of/charge with a crime. (I can think of 91 reasons why this word spiked, can't you?)
The Word Of The Year--Authentic--is always my word of the year. As Miss Maudie said about Atticus Finch, I'm the same in the house as I am on the public streets. I was raised on it. My father always quoted Polonius to us from William Shakespeare's Hamlet--"To thine own self be true." He never quoted the rest, but I will here:
“This above all: to thine own self be true
And it must follow, as the night the day
Thou canst not then be false to any man/"
My dad was Authentic to a fault. Still, he had a lot of Rizz.
Chat me up about the Word(s) of the Year in Comments.
On Threads I've mentioned that this word of the year is me. I've even pinned it as my top Thread because I've never felt more seen. Yay Merriam-Webster.
ReplyDeleteAlly--Agreed. In a world of so much disinformation/misinformation, social media influencers pretending that their world is perfect, concerns about AI, and even being sick of automated menus every single time I call a business, I applaud all things Authentic. It's time everyone began embracing facts and being genuine.
DeleteFor some reason I thought the word of the year was always new...so glad to see this word!
ReplyDeleteI hadn't heard 'deadname'. That term seems so fraught to me. I hope it's not always that painful for people to be their authentic selves.
J, My understanding is that it comes from how unsupportive families or law enforcement would use the old name when the person died...
DeleteJ--When a person transitions from, say male to female, she no longer wants to be referred to by her male name. That name is now dead--it represents a person she no longer is. And yes, it's most often used by unsupportive people who refuse to acknowledge the person's transition.
DeleteNance--I hope Sam is feeling better.
ReplyDeleteDespite being a news junkie, I did not know about "Covenant Eyes." Yikes!
Also, thank you so much for being an ally. Educators are such a lifeline for kids. If you're interested, here's a poem about my then 13-year-old's new name. https://www.pocobrat.net/2021/08/the-present.html
maya--Sam continues to feel better, thank you.
DeleteI was proud and happy to be one of the first outspoken allies at my school. Even before the term was formalized, students knew my classroom was a safe space for them. At one point a gay student put stickers on some teachers' doors to denote who was Gay Friendly, but the admin made us take them off, saying "all of our teachers are welcoming to everyone." By then, however, the students already knew.
Thanks for sharing the poem with me. I love the inherent joy and acceptance within it.
I've never heard of rizz. I feel very behind the times.
ReplyDeleteI don't actually care for the term authentic, to be honest. I feel like there are generally better terms to be more accurate about what you're trying to accomplish with the word. Are you talking about being genuine/true/loyal? Are you talking about brand identity? Are you talking about legal/legitimate/lawful? The term authentic is too broad to really mean anything to me. I like more precision in my terms.
BUT. I do love how the word of the year shows that there is a certain degree of a common cultural experience that people in the world share. We're all watching the same news unfold, I guess. I feel like the monoculture has really suffered in the last two decades, but this word of the year is an artifact that's still around.
NGS--I'm way behind with current slang now that I'm no longer in the classroom. My students always kept me up and made sure I wasn't using outdated expressions.
DeleteI don't have a problem with the word Authentic, even though it pretty much became a buzzword ("authentic self") on social media accounts and among some influencers. The idea of authenticity is perhaps broad, but it still conveys a specific meaning, and its connotation is rather elevated. We want authentic autographs of famous people (and certificates of their authenticity); we want to eat like locals and experience authentic culture when we travel, so we eschew touristy places; therapists tell patients to be their authentic selves and avoid tailoring their personalities to fit in with others. I think it's a good, strong word. I disagree that it can stand in for loyal.
I find Word Of The Year interesting on many fronts. As a word nerd, I like that someone is watching word trends and what people look up. (Honestly, I'm grateful people are still looking up words they want to know more about!) I also like to see how The Language moves and develops with the times and trends. No one wants a dead language--a society functions best when they can communicate clearly and well. And I especially like to see how our language reflects the commonality of experience, as you mentioned. Sometimes, it's easy to think that we're isolated and living a different life than everyone else. Word of the Year shows that this just isn't true. Besides, I think it's fun. Just pure fun.
Love words, all of them. But 'authentic', for me, is a rebuke of the whole 'fake news' culture. Oh, and put 'seminal' on your list. I snicker every time I use it.
ReplyDeleteMary--You and I are just Word Nerds. Did you ever read The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams? Highly recommend.
DeleteI agree with your take on Authentic. Do you really act like an eighth grade boy about Seminal? Shame on you.
I've never heard of rizz either - I'm going to have to take issue with the Dr. who usually keeps me up to date on these things. I apparently have such a common countenance that I have scores of doppelgangers in the world. One time a college friend took me home to his old high school's football game & had everyone convinced I was his step-sister (not weird at all since I sort of thought it was a date & not a prank). But we really did look alike!
ReplyDeleteBug--I'm very out of date with slang, now that I'm no longer surrounded by teenagers five days a week. Retirement has hurt my vocabulary and my street cred. LOL
DeleteI had a doppelganger all through elementary school. We went to different schools but the same church. Her name was Mary, and we got called each other's names all the time. Oddly enough, this summer I was on my walk and got mistaken for someone named Marie. Apparently, I look like a woman who used to live in the neighborhood but moved away. I was greeted so warmly and enthusiastically that I wished I had known her. They were quite let down when I assured them I was someone else entirely.
I don't know anyone who looks like you, Bug. So perhaps your doppelgangers all live in places I've not been.
Interesting list. Like you, "Deepfake" scares me A LOT because of the potential of AI to produce really authentic-looking videos. Too many folks see a graphic, recognize the voice, and then assume it must be true. Too many others are easily duped with pathetic photoshopped memes. On the political front, going into the 2024 election, this is *really frightening* as you say. Especially with all the Russian bots out there who influenced the 2020 election. Most of the population is not discerning at all and believe everything that is published, especially if it supports their POV.
ReplyDeleteLove the Word of the Year!
Ortizzle--We've already learned of the tremendous gullibility of a wide segment of the American people, not to mention their astonishing stupidity. They don't even need deepfakes. Those teetering on the edge of suggestibility are the ones that deepfakes will impress, and that's the scary part. Experts in AI have already rung the alarm about AI themselves. I just hope the right people are listening.
DeleteI like authentic. It's a beef I have with my sisters - not being authentic. I dislike fakeness. Always. Funny enough - I just heard the word Rizz used last weekend. Wild. I agree, doppelganger is a fun word to say.
ReplyDeleteErnie--You are surrounded by young people (lucky! and I mean that) so I'm not surprised you've heard Rizz. You probably could school us all on the latest slang, and we could use the lesson.
DeleteInterestingly enough, Authentic comes on the heels of last year's Word Of The Year, Gaslighting. I bet you have some experience with that one, too, and from the same people. Sigh.