Nominations for the 2017 word of the year have been posted. The final vote will be held at 5 p.m. MST, Friday, January 5th, at the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah, Grand Ballroom C.
You can still make nominations in person when the final vote will be taken. Nominations should be some or all of the following: widely used, new or newly popular, significant to the happenings of 2017, indicative of public discourse and national preoccupations in 2017. Single words, phrases, compounds, catch phrases, hashtags, emoji, and other types of brief written or spoken communication are accepted as nominations.
American Dialect Society 2017 Words of the Year
NOMINATIONS to be voted on by the American Dialect Society, Jan. 5, 2018, Salt Lake City, Utah
POLITICAL WORD OF THE YEAR
- antifa: Anti-fascist movements and organizations, treated as a whole
- dotard: An old person who shows a decline in mental faculties (used by Kim Jong-un of Donald Trump)
- persisterhood: Blend of “persist” and “sisterhood”
- take a knee: Kneel in protest, especially during a time when others are standing
DIGITAL WORD OF THE YEAR
- blockchain: Technology underlying cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, which exploded in value this year
- digital blackface: When a (usu. white) person uses images of black people as a proxy for themselves on social media
- initial coin offering: Capital-raising process to collect funds to start up a new cryptocurrency
- rogue adj.: Describing someone ostensibly working in an administration who is posting messages against it
SLANG/INFORMAL WORD OF THE YEAR
- shooketh: Mock-archaic way of expressing shock or excitement
- snatched: Good-looking, attractive
- wypipo: Humorous phonetic spelling of “white people” used to flag white privilege or absurdity
MOST USEFUL
- angry react, sad react: Expression of anger or sorrow (describing reaction emoji, e.g. on Facebook)
- die by suicide: A variant of “to commit suicide” that does not suggest a criminal act
- millennial pink: Tint of pink used in goods and social media by and for millennials
MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED
- fake news: Disinformation or falsehoods presented as real news; actual news that is claimed to be untrue
- stan v.: Be a big fan (from Eminem song, “Stan”)
- unicorn: A one-of-a-kind person or thing
MOST CREATIVE
- askhole: Person who continuously asks ridiculous or obnoxious questions
- broflake: Man or boy who lacks resilience or coping skills in the face of disagreements or setbacks
- caucacity: Blend of “Caucasian” and “audacity”
- milkshake duck: Person or thing that is deeply loved until problematic behavior is revealed or unearthed
EUPHEMISM OF THE YEAR
- alternative facts: Contrary information that matches one’s preferred narrative or interpretation of events
- avocado toast: A minor indulgence for which people unfairly judge others, esp. millennials
- problematic: An understated way to say something is very wrong or unacceptably politically incorrect
WTF WORD OF THE YEAR
- covfefe: A (probably) mistyped word of unknown meaning used in a Donald Trump tweet
- procrastination nanny: Person who moderates productivity for other adults, esp. as a group event
- raw water: Water from natural sources without filters or treatment
HASHTAG OF THE YEAR
- #MeToo: Indication by women that they have experienced sexual harassment or assault
- #NeverthelessShePersisted: Feminist rallying cry based on Mitch McConnell’s warning to Elizabeth Warren during a Senate debate
- #Resist: Slogan of the (anti-Trump) resistance
- #TakeAKnee: Statement of support for NFL players protesting racial injustice and police brutality
EMOJI OF THE YEAR
- 🐐 : GOAT (Greatest Of All Time)
- im🍑 : impeach
- 🧕: woman with head scarf or hijab