Dec. 9 (UPI) — Merriam-Webster named “polarization” its 2024 Word of the Year on Monday, citing its prominence in describing the political landscape of the 2024 presidential election.
The dictionary said it defines polarization as a “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 opposite extremes.”
“The word was widely used across the media landscape, “Merriam-Webster said in a statement. “The word was also used to describe divides beyond the U.S. election, as when Forbes warned that in workplaces, ‘cultural polarization is becoming a more pressing challenge.'”
The dictionary said the “polar” in polarization is from the Latin word Polaris, which describes the Earth’s North and South poles. The North Star is also known as Polaris.
Other words made an impression within Merriam-Websters lookup date throughout the year.
The word “totality” was popular in April during the total eclipse of the sun that happened in April and the scene in 13 states.
“Demure” surged in use in August with TikTok influencer created a line of makeup videos using the phrase “very demure, very mindful.” It was the word demure, which describes people who avoid attention to themselves,” that sent video watchers running to the dictionary.
Singing superstar Taylor Swift made the word “fortnight” a lookup sensation with her use this year. Fortnight means “a period of 14 days, two weeks,” it had been rarely used until Swift made it popular again.
The word “pander” became popular among news organizations and political groups in describing their opponents on the campaign trail trying to connect to different constituents. The word was often heard during pollical coverage, the dictionary said.
Other words, that became popular in 2024 included resonate, allison, weird, cognitive, and democracy.