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

Why was CLIMATE EMERGENCY 2019 Word

of the Year and which words were runners up?

 

 

The Word of the Year 2018 is

TOXIC

Why was TOXIC selected as our Word of the

Year 2018 and which words were shortlisted?

 

 

The Word of the Year 2017 is

YOUTHQUAKE

Why was 2017 the year of the YOUTHQUAKE

and which words did it beat to the title?

 

 

The Word of the Year 2016 is

POST-TRUTH

Why was POST-TRUTH our Word of the Year

in 2016, and which words were runners up?

 

 

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

  
2014vape
2013selfie
2012omnishambles (UK) & GIF (US)
2011squeezed middle
2010big society (UK) & refudiate (US)
2009simples (UK) & unfriend (US)
2008credit crunch (UK) & hypermiling (US)
2007carbon footprint (UK) & locavore (US)
2006bovvered (UK) & carbon-neutral (US)
2005Sudoku (UK) & podcast (US)
2004chav
 

Hindi Word of the Year

The Hindi Word of the Year 2019 is

Samvidhaan or the Constitution