DICTIONARY.COM NAMES 'WOMAN' AS THE 2022 WORD OF THE YEAR

'🇺🇦,' 'inflation,' 'quiet quitting,' 'democracy,' and 'Wordle' make the dictionary's shortlist

OAKLAND, Calif., Dec. 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Dictionary.com , the leading online and mobile English-language educational resource, today announced '"woman," defined as "an adult female person," as the 2022 Word of the Year. The annual selection is based on the site's search data, language trends, and major cultural themes of the year. 

The prominence of the word "woman," and the discussion around and about women, resulted in double the typical annual search volume for the word, with specific surges throughout several of the year's key events, including the Dobbs v. Jackson decision, the historic midterm elections, the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the equal pay settlement reached by the U.S. Women's soccer team, the retirement of tennis superstar Serena Williams, and the women-led protests in Iran.

"This year, the very matter of the definition of the word 'woman' was at the center of so many consequential moments, discussions, and decisions in our society," said John Kelly, Senior Director of Editorial at Dictionary.com. "Our selection of 'woman' as the Word of the Year for 2022—and how the word is defined, who is included in that definition, who the word applies and belongs to—highlights how important the work of a dictionary is, and how dictionaries can impact people's lives."

Searches for the word "woman" increased to its highest point, more than 1,400 percent, when a question about the very definition of the word was posed on the national stage during a Supreme Court confirmation hearing for Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.

"Every day at Dictionary.com, our team is documenting how language is changing, following the data and cultural roadmaps," said Dara Sanderson, CEO, Dictionary.com. "Our work culminates in an important selection, a word that defines a year and tells a deeper story. Perhaps no word is more relevant for those points than 'woman.' As we look at the year ahead, linguistically, culturally and politically, we anticipate an ever-evolving discourse."

This year, Dictionary.com's shortlist for Word of the Year candidates reflect how people turn to the dictionary to help understand the terminology around current events. Shortlisted words are "🇺🇦," Ukraine flag emoji; "inflation"; "quiet quitting"; "democracy"; and "Wordle," an enduring cultural phenomenon this year. Dictionary.com added "Wordle" to the dictionary in 2022 and continues to see a high-frequency of lookups related to the game's answers.

Read more about Dictionary.com's Word of the Year selection at https://www.dictionary.com/e/word-of-the-year/ .

Words define every aspect of our lives, from our ideas to our identities. Dictionary.com aspires to empower every person, of every background, to express themselves, make connections, and open the door to opportunity through the power and joy of language. With over 65 million visitors each month, Dictionary.com is the premier destination to learn, discover, and have fun with the limitless world of words and meanings. The brand helps you make sense of the ever-evolving English language so you can put your ideas into words—and your words into action.

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SOURCE Dictionary.com