Copyright © Françoise Herrmann
The American Dialect Society (ADS), Word of the Year (WOTY), shortlisted candidates are as interesting as ever this year. Submitted for nine of the most compelling categories of new words, by top American dialect specialists, the selections are extracted below from the Society's Press Release. The category winners are indexed with an asterisk. The Press Release was put together by Ben Zimmer, self-proclaimed word nut, Chair of the ADS New Words Committee, language columnist at the Wall Street Journal, contributing writer for The Atlantic, and co-host of the Slate podcast Spectacular Vernacular.
Dark Brandon: sinister, powerful alter ego of Joe Biden (play on “Let’s Go Brandon”)
quiet quitting: doing no more than the minimum required for a job
rizz: effortless attractiveness or style (short for “charisma”)
Slava Ukraini: “Glory to Ukraine!” (said in solidarity with Ukrainian resistance)
special military operation: Russian designation for invasion of Ukraine
MOST USEFUL/MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED
* quiet quitting: doing no more than the minimum required for a job
climate criminal: celebrity who flies excessively via private jet
longtermism: ethical position that prioritizes improving the long-term future
nepo baby: celebrity who is the child of a celebrity
rizz: effortless attractiveness or style (short for “charisma”)
POLITICAL WORD OF THE YEAR
* Dark Brandon: sinister, powerful alter ego of Joe Biden (play on “Let’s Go Brandon”)
Dobbs: Supreme Court decision reversing abortion rights (as in “post-Dobbs”)
pink trickle/splash: result of Republican “red wave” in midterms not materializing
Slava Ukraini: “Glory to Ukraine!” (said in solidarity with Ukrainian resistance)
Woman, Life, Freedom: rallying cry for women’s rights in Iran and elsewhere
DIGITAL WORD OF THE YEAR
* -dle: suffix for Wordle-like games (Heardle, Absurdle, Foodle, Worldle, Redactle, etc.)
BFFR: initialism for “be fucking for real”
chief twit: self-designation of Elon Musk after acquiring Twitter
chronically online: spending so much time online that it warps one’s sense of reality
crypto rug pull: scam in which a fraudulent development team pumps a cryptocurrency token before disappearing with the funds, leaving investors with a valueless asset
touch grass: go outside (antidote to spending too much time online)
verse: online world, as in Metaverse (Facebook’s VR platform) or Fediverse (federated servers on Mastodon)
INFORMAL WORD OF THE YEAR
* it’s giving (X): description of something exuding a particular vibe or energy (from Black drag culture)
dickriding: currying favor or sucking up to someone
(the) ick: feeling of disgust about one’s date
menty b: mental breakdown
rizz: effortless attractiveness or style (short for “charisma”)
MOST CREATIVE WORD OF THE YEAR
* -ussy: suffix as in Bottom rights subversion of the English language.
blorbo (from my shows): beloved fictional character from television or other media
-dle: suffix for Wordle-like games (Heardle, Absurdle, Foodle, Worldle, Redactle, etc.)
moid/foid: derogatory terms for men and women in incel culture
short king: positive or affectionate term for a man of modest stature
EUPHEMISM OF THE YEAR
* special military operation: Russian designation for invasion of Ukraine
camping: access to abortion, as used in informal networks circumventing state anti-abortion laws
(the) ick: feeling of disgust about one’s date
menty b: mental breakdown
rizz: effortless attractiveness or style (short for “charisma”)
MOST CREATIVE WORD OF THE YEAR
* -ussy: suffix as in Bottom rights subversion of the English language.
blorbo (from my shows): beloved fictional character from television or other media
-dle: suffix for Wordle-like games (Heardle, Absurdle, Foodle, Worldle, Redactle, etc.)
moid/foid: derogatory terms for men and women in incel culture
short king: positive or affectionate term for a man of modest stature
EUPHEMISM OF THE YEAR
* special military operation: Russian designation for invasion of Ukraine
camping: access to abortion, as used in informal networks circumventing state anti-abortion laws
diverse-owned: of a business, owned by members of historically underrepresented groups
leg booty: algospeak substitution for LGBT
pronouns: trans/nonbinary gender identities, as used in transphobic rhetoric to mock pronoun choice
résumé embellishment: lying about one’s accomplishments
SNOWCLONE/PHRASAL TEMPLATE OF THE YEAR
* not X: ironic framing device expressing an attitude of mock horror or incredulity
if I text you X, it means Y: explaining how to interpret an emoji or series of emojis
#IStandWithX: expression of solidarity
it’s the X for me: singling out a notable or funny aspect of something, or finding fault with someone
she’s/he’s a 10, but X: pointing out a negative or quirky quality of someone
X hits different: describing an experience that is affecting in a meaningful way
EMOJI OF THE YEAR
* 💀 [skull]: expressing figurative death (from laughter, frustration, etc.)
🫠 [melting face]: expressing embarrassment or dread
🫡 [saluting face]: sign of respect or solidarity
🫥 [dotted line face]: feeling of invisibility
🚩 [red flag]: signaling danger or problems
leg booty: algospeak substitution for LGBT
pronouns: trans/nonbinary gender identities, as used in transphobic rhetoric to mock pronoun choice
résumé embellishment: lying about one’s accomplishments
SNOWCLONE/PHRASAL TEMPLATE OF THE YEAR
* not X: ironic framing device expressing an attitude of mock horror or incredulity
if I text you X, it means Y: explaining how to interpret an emoji or series of emojis
#IStandWithX: expression of solidarity
it’s the X for me: singling out a notable or funny aspect of something, or finding fault with someone
she’s/he’s a 10, but X: pointing out a negative or quirky quality of someone
X hits different: describing an experience that is affecting in a meaningful way
EMOJI OF THE YEAR
* 💀 [skull]: expressing figurative death (from laughter, frustration, etc.)
🫠 [melting face]: expressing embarrassment or dread
🫡 [saluting face]: sign of respect or solidarity
🫥 [dotted line face]: feeling of invisibility
🚩 [red flag]: signaling danger or problems
⬜🟨🟩 [colored boxes]: for Wordle results
Reference
Ben Zimmer (website)
Spectacular Vernacular (podcast)
Zimmer, B. (Jan. 6, 2023) American Dialect Society Selects “-ussy” as 2022 Word of the Year. American Dialect Society Press Release.
https://www.americandialect.org/wp-content/uploads/2022-Word-of-the-Year-PRESS-RELEASE.pdf
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