Words of the year

From the Australian National Dictionary Centre, voice : “‘a formal channel for Indigenous input into the making of laws and policies affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.’ Voice increased greatly in usage this year, as the idea of an Indigenous voice became prominent in public discussion.”

From the Cambridge Dictionary, upcycling : “Stopping the progression of climate change, let alone reversing it, can seem impossible at times. Upcycling is a concrete action a single human being can take to make a difference.”

From the Collins Dictionary, climate strike : “a form of protest that took off just over one year ago with the actions of Swedish schoolgirl Greta Thunberg and which has grown to become a worldwide movement.”

From Dictionary.com, existential : “It captures a sense of grappling with the survival — literally and figuratively — of our planet, our loved ones, our ways of life.”

From Macquarie Dictionary, cancel culture : “an attitude which is so pervasive that it now has a name.”

From Merriam-Webster, they : “Even a basic term — a personal pronoun — can rise to the top of our data. Although our lookups are often driven by events in the news, the dictionary is also a primary resource for information about language itself, and the shifting use of they has been the subject of increasing study and commentary in recent years.”

From Oxford Dictionaries, climate emergency : “This year, heightened public awareness of climate science and the myriad implications for communities around the world has generated enormous discussion of what the UN Secretary-General has called ‘the defining issue of our time.’”

I’ll add to this post as more words arrive.

My embarrassingly obvious word of the year: impeachment. Elaine’s: though, as in “I would like you to do us a favor though.”

I collected last year’s words in this post.