The 2018 news cycle helped propel “justice” to become Merriam-Webster’s word of the year.
“The concept of justice was at the center of many of our national debates in the past year: racial justice, social justice, criminal justice, economic justice,” the dictionary explained.
The dictionary’s entry for “justice” was consulted 74 percent more in 2018 than it was the previous year.
“Justice” was the subject of many headlines this year, with Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation leading countless news cycles. Mueller is said to be investigating whether Trump obstructed justice in the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. President Trump frequently attacked his own Justice Department over the investigation.
In recent weeks, the White House has pressured Congress to pass a criminal justice reform bill. Reality TV queen Kim Kardashian West visited the White House twice to discuss prison and sentencing reform, creating a whirlwind of headlines.
“These are stories that connect to the culture and to society across races, across classes,” Peter Sokolowski, Merriam-Webster’s editor at large, told the Associated Press. “We get this word that filters in.”
Other words that saw spikes included “maverick,” “respect,” “excelsior,” “pissant,” “pansexual,” “laurel,” “feckless,” “epiphany,” “lodestar,” and “nationalism.”
