And the word of the year is … polarization, according to Merriam-Webster.com.
If you’re struggling to put your finger on exactly what the word means, you’re just like many of the folks who looked it up amid the U.S. election this year.
Just in case an appearance on Jeopardy may be in your future, Merriam-Webster defines polarization as “division into two sharply distinct opposites; especially a state in which the opinions, beliefs, or interests of a group or society no longer range along a continuum but become concentrated at opposing extremes.”
Apparently, it’s something easily felt by either side.
“Polarizationwas widely used to describe America in 2024,” the president of Merriam-Webster, Greg Barlow, says. “Ironically, it’s a concept that is shared by both sides of the political divide.”
Other top contenders in 2024: totality, thanks to April’s eclipse; fortnight, courtesy of Taylor Swift‘s Tortured Poets Department single; and demure, which rocketed into relevance thanks to TikTok.
There’s also allision, a word often used to describe the Baltimore bridge collapse. And — back to politics — pander and democracy, with both words often checked online during the election.