By Vivian Kane | Miscellaneous | November 16, 2015 |
By Vivian Kane | Miscellaneous | November 16, 2015 |
Today, the Oxford Dictionaries announced their choice for the 2015 Word of the Year. Now, this word is not a new addition to the dictionary, and it’s not necessarily a word that was coined this year. Rather, it;s the word deemed most important to our current cultural sphere. Some other Words of the Year from the past decade have included “plutoed” as a verb (when something gets demoted), “subprime” and “bailout,” “tweet,” “app,” “hashtag,” and the actual hashtag “#blacklivesmatter.” This year’s official word takes the kitschy zeitgeist angle to a whole new level. The 2015 Word of the Year is:
Yes, the official Word of the year is the tears of joy emoji. Because who doesn’t love a good laughcry?
From Oxford,
There were other strong contenders from a range of fields, outlined below, but 😂 was chosen as the ‘word’ that best reflected the ethos, mood, and preoccupations of 2015.
Given that the title Word of the Year comes with no actual power or importance, it’s hard to get too worked up over this. What do you all think? Evolving language or the end of civility as we know it? Thumbs up or devil face? Eggplant or— no wait, that’s something different.