Merriam-Webster Names Polarization 2024 Word of the Year
Posted on December 9, 2024
Merriam-Webster named "polarization" the word of the year for 2024. The word can be used to describe the political division in the United States and the polarized views of the far left and far right.
Merriam-Webster says the lookup volume of the word this year on merriam-webster.com "reflected the desire of Americans to better understand the complex state of affairs in our country and around the world."
The dictionary company describes 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.
Merriam-Webster President Greg Barlow says in a statement, "Polarization was widely used to describe America in 2024. Ironically, it's a concept that is shared by both sides of the political divide."
Merriam-Webster says these words were are also popular in 2024.
- Totality – When the moon generated astronomical excitement as it passed in front of the sun
- Demure – When a TikTok influencer posted a series of makeup videos with a catchphrase that went viral
- Fortnight – With the release of Taylor Swift’s Tortured Poets Department album, featuring a track by that name
- Pander – When both sides in the U.S. election used the term to mock their opponents’ behavior
- Allision – With the word being used to describe how a ship caused a bridge in Baltimore to collapse
- Democracy – As Americans from red states and blue states looked up this word, which never appears in the Declaration of Independence or Constitution, to better understand an idea they wanted to celebrate, critique, or defend
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