Roger J. Kreuz , University of Memphis

Which terms best represent 2025?

Every year, editors for publications ranging from the Oxford English Dictionary to the Macquarie Dictionary of Australian English select a “word of the year.”

Sometimes these terms are thematically related, particularly in the wake of world-altering events. “Pandemic,” “lockdown” and “coronavirus,” for example, were among the words chosen in 2020 . At other times, they are a potpourri of various cultural trends, as with 2022’s “ goblin mode ,” “ permacrisis ” and “ gaslighting .”

This year’s slate largely centers on digital life. But rather than reflecting the unbridled optimism about the internet of the early aughts – when words like “ w00t ,” “ blog ,” “ tweet ” and even “ face with tears of joy

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