As the crucial issue of fact veracity continues to dominate current discussions, it may come as no surprise that the word of the year from the Merriam-Webster dictionary is “authentic.”
The dictionary states that there has been a significant volume of searches for the definition of this word in recent years, but 2023 saw a “substantial increase,” thanks to stories and conversations about AI, identity, and social media.
The reason so many are searching is that “authentic” has several meanings, according to the announcement on the dictionary’s website, including “not false” and “true to one’s personality, spirit, or character.”
A synonym for real and current, authentic is “clearly a desirable quality,” according to Merriam-Webster, and is often associated with expressions of identity, such as cuisine.
The dictionary notes that it has also been a preferred term among celebrities like singers Lainey Wilson, Sam Smith, and Taylor Swift, who have made headlines this year with statements about seeking their “authentic voice” and “authentic self.”
The rise of artificial intelligence has blurred the lines between what is real and what is not, leaving celebrities, brands, and influencers—among others—eager to prove their authenticity.
Other words that generated significant traffic for the online dictionary in 2023 included coronation, dystopian, indict, and doppelgänger.
In 2022, Merriam-Webster chose “gaslighting” as the word of the year, stating that it had become an omnipresent term in the “age of misinformation.”
Source: CNN