Word of the Year
Word of the Year
The Oxford Word of the Year is a word or expression that has attracted a great deal of interest over the last 12 months. Every year, we debate candidates for word of the year and choose a winner that is judged to reflect the ethos, mood, or preoccupations of that particular year and to have lasting potential as a word of cultural significance.
Oxford Word of the Year 2022
GOBLIN MODE
Learn more about what goblin mode
means, and why it was chosen.
Oxford Languages 2021
Word of the Year
Discover why VAX is 2021 Word of the Year, and read a report into the language of vaccines.
Oxford Languages 2020
Words of an Unprecedented Year
The Word of the Year 2019 is
CLIMATE EMERGENCY
The Word of the Year 2018 is
TOXIC
The Word of the Year 2017 is
YOUTHQUAKE
The Word of the Year 2016 is
POST-TRUTH
The Word of the Year 2015 is
😂
Why did we choose 😂 as our first ever emoji Word of the Year and which words were shortlisted?
Earlier Words of the Year
| 2014 | vape |
| 2013 | selfie |
| 2012 | omnishambles (UK) & GIF (US) |
| 2011 | squeezed middle |
| 2010 | big society (UK) & refudiate (US) |
| 2009 | simples (UK) & unfriend (US) |
| 2008 | credit crunch (UK) & hypermiling (US) |
| 2007 | carbon footprint (UK) & locavore (US) |
| 2006 | bovvered (UK) & carbon-neutral (US) |
| 2005 | Sudoku (UK) & podcast (US) |
| 2004 | chav |
The Hindi Word of the Year 2020 is
The Hindi Word of the Year 2019 is