WORD OF THE YEAR ANNOUNCED
Merriam-Webster has announced what its annual word of the year for 2023 is.
According to America’s oldest dictionary, Merriam-Webster, the word “authentic” saw a substantial increase in online searches throughout the year.
The dictionary publisher said the interest was “driven by stories and conversations about AI (artificial intelligence), celebrity culture, identity, and social media”.
The dictionary continued saying “Although clearly a desirable quality, ‘authentic’ is hard to define and subject to debate”.
Another AI-related word that was announced as one of the runner-ups is the word “deepfake”. The word is used to describe videos and photos that have been digitally altered with AI.
The word of the year has been popularised by many during the year, including Elon Musk, the owner of X, who said people should be more “authentic” on social media.
Other words that made the shortlist are “rizz”, short for charisma; and “indict” which was searched for after former US President Donald Trump was indicted.
Following the coronation of King Charles III, the word “coronation” was also highly searched this year.
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