Merriam-Webster’s word of the year is “culture”—not nearly as catchy as the Oxford Dictionary’s chosen word, “vape.”
Peter Sokolowski, editor at large for Merriam-Webster, told AP they chose the word because, “We’re simply using the word culture more frequently. It may be a fad. It may not. It may simply be evolution.”
The other top 10 contenders were nostalgia, feminism, “je ne sais quoi,” insidious, legacy, innovation, autonomy, surreptitious, and morbidity. “Je ne sais quoi” landed on the list because of Sonic’s “Jenna said what?” commercial.
As for “culture,” Sokolowski suggested it may be gaining popularity as a replacement for the more “elitist” word “society.”
“Certain groups are taking ‘society’ out of their names now,” he observed. “It seems to be receding. Part of that seems to be because it’s elitist. We’re using the word culture more frequently in that place.”
Searches for the word “culture” on the Merriam-Webster website have seen a 15 percent year-over-year increase, out of 100 million monthly searches.
We’re much bigger fans of the Oxford Dictionary’s more colorful choices. “Vape,” popularized by e-cigarettes, won word of the year, while “bae,” “budtender” (“a person whose job is to serve customers in a cannabis dispensary or shop”) “normcore” and “slacktivism” all made the shortlist.
