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WORD OF THE YEAR NEWS

Beyond the ‘Word of the Year’: Why 2026 needs a ‘Value of the Year’ and what should it be?

January 01, 2026 8:48 am

As 2026 begins, UPSC Essentials of The Indian Express asks a deeper question beyond trends and buzzwords: what should become the Value of the Year in an anxious world? Nanditesh Nilay, our ethicist, offers an answer.

Google adds ‘67’ easter egg to search; know what the 'brainrot' meme really means

December 20, 2025 12:25 pm

The tech giant has slipped in a playful Easter egg that activates when users type ‘6-7’ or ‘67’ in the search bar.

Today, rage bait can cover everything from fabricated stories and anecdotes about someone’s daily life to issues linked to politics and wider conspiracy theories.

What Oxford Dictionary’s Word of the Year, 'rage bait', says about today’s internet

December 01, 2025 6:15 pm

What does rage baiting mean, why did Oxford choose this word, and what does it say about the world in 2025? We explain.

'Parasocial': The 2025 word of a skibidi year is peak delulu

November 20, 2025 11:10 pm

Parasocial relationships now define our emotional lives. Many of us are supporting characters in the stories of people who do not know we exist.

Cambridge Dictionary names parasocial word of the year

Psychologist believes Cambridge Dictionary’s 2025 Word of the Year -- parasocial -- highlights 'real shift in how people form connections today'

November 18, 2025 2:30 pm

Parasocial relationships aren’t new, but social media has intensified them because creators share their lives in ways that feel personal, accessible, and emotionally charged.

The idea of attention need not be masculine

January 02, 2025 7:24 am

Framing only certain moments as worthy of attention is exhausting, unrewarding and hierarchical. Distraction could be essential to creativity

The Third edit: ‘Word of the Year’ -- dictionaries fight for relevance

December 12, 2024 7:08 am

We live in a time where social media deems phenomenons worthy of global attention. Can a year-ending dictionary report compete with this?

“Brat” was chosen as the Word of the Year by Collins Dictionary. The album of the same name (cover pictured) by singer Charli XCX led to a rise in the word's usage and online searches for it.

Explained: From ‘brain rot’ to ‘kakistocracy’, what Words of the Year tell us about 2024

December 11, 2024 5:09 am

While 'brain rot' relates to the constant consumption of online content, 'kakistocracy' refers to the 'rule of the worst' in politics. Here is what to know.

Demure became the most used word of the year, as per Dictionary.com (Image source: @joolieannie/Instagram)

‘Demure’ named Word of the Year 2024 by Dictionary.com

November 26, 2024 12:59 pm

According to Dictionary.com, ‘demure’ saw a 1200 per cent increase in usage in digital media.

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The Third Edit: Word of the year, manifest, sounds out hope for Gen Z

November 22, 2024 10:52 pm

Disillusioned by the ‘toxic positivity’ culture shaped by millennials, and the ‘you're not doing enough’ prod of the hustle era, Gen Z’s version of bettering life does not lie in sweeping things under the carpet. Instead, they acknowledge the grimness of the current moment while dreaming of a brighter future