Merriam-Webster Reveals Top Words of Summer 2010

SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Sept. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Merriam-Webster Inc., America's leading language reference publisher, has announced the "Top Words of Summer 2010," based on the volume of user lookups at Merriam-Webster.com.

Topping the list by a wide margin was Sarah Palin's attention-getting coinage refudiate, a blend of refute and repudiate, both of which were also heavily looked up. Refudiate was followed by the box office-inspired inception (2) and despicable (3) and by the oil spill-related moratorium (4).  Rounding out the top five, and reflecting the effects of global economic conditions, was austere (5) and the closely related austerity, both of which peaked around the time of the Greek debt crisis but have remained heavily looked-up all summer.

The worlds of entertainment and politics, as well as sports, were also evident in the rest of the list, which includes cacophony (6), used to describe the sound of the vuvuzelas during the World Cup match in South Africa; doppelganger (7), used in reference to the similarity between Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love, and Julia Roberts, who portrays her in the movie; and vapid (9), a word used by Supreme Court-nominee Elena Kagan in reference to the confirmation proceedings.

And in an odd pairing, both opulent (8) and frugal (10), made the list – opulent in reference to Chelsea Clinton's wedding and frugal in several late-summer stories about how Americans are adjusting to new economic realities.

These words, and more, are highlighted in "Trend Watch," one of the new features on the newly redesigned Merriam-Webster.com. For more details, please visit http://www.merriam-webster.com/trend-watch/archive.html

Other new features on the site include Top Ten Lists, Word Well Used, and enhanced dictionary entries featuring synonyms, antonyms, and additional example sentences, all designed to better serve the tens of millions of users who come to the site each month.

Merriam-Webster Inc.  For more than 150 years, in print and now online, Merriam-Webster has been America's leading and most-trusted provider of language information. Each month, our Web sites offer guidance to tens of millions of visitors. In print, our publications include Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary (among the best-selling books in American history) and newly published dictionaries for English-language learners. All Merriam-Webster products and services are backed by the largest team of professional dictionary editors and writers in America, and one of the largest in the world.

For more information, visit www.Merriam-Webster.com.

SOURCE Merriam-Webster Inc.