If you’ve been looking up the definition of “polarization” to help explain politics in the U.S. and abroad, you’re far from alone.
Merriam-Webster on Monday named its 2024 Word of the Year as “Polarization.” The dictionary publisher said polarization is defined as “division into two sharply distinct opposites; especially a state in which the opinions, beliefs, or interests of a group or society no longer range along a continuum but become concentrated at opposing extremes.”
And the widespread looking up of the word on both sides of the political divide reflects “the desire of Americans to better understand the complex state of affairs in our country and around the world,” Merriam-Webster added.
Other finalist words revealed by the dictionary’s 2024 researchers included political buzz words like “pander” and “democracy,” along with “totality” and “Fortnight,” the latter of which is a title on Taylor Swift’s Tortured Poets Department album.
The increasing prevalence of social media platforms in people’s lives and in this year’s re-election of Donald Trump as U.S. President helps explains the popularity of polarization as a word to look up, just as people’s opinions, beliefs and allegiances increasingly land on political extremes.
Merriam-Webster President Greg Barlow insisted his dictionary remains neutral ground for people on both sides of political issues to learn more about competing worlds. “Even in this age of polarization, the dictionary remains a neutral, trusted resource that millions of people turn to in order to better understand the words that define our times,” he said in a statement.
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