NEW YORK (AP) BԪַ BԪַGaslightingBԪַ BԪַ behavior thatBԪַs mind manipulating, grossly misleading, downright deceitful BԪַ is Merriam-WebsterBԪַs word of the year.
Lookups for the word on merriam-webster.com increased 1,740% in 2022 over the year before. But something else happened. There wasnBԪַt a single event that drove significant spikes in curiosity, as it usually goes with the chosen word of the year.
The gaslighting was pervasive.
BԪַItBԪַs a word that has risen so quickly in the English language, and especially in the last four years, that it actually came as a surprise to me and to many of us,BԪַ said Peter Sokolowski, Merriam-WebsterBԪַs editor at large, in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press ahead of MondayBԪַs unveiling.
BԪַIt was a word looked up frequently every single day of the year,BԪַ he said.
There were deepfakes and the dark web. There were deep states and fake news. And there was a whole lot of trolling.
Merriam-WebsterBԪַs top definition for gaslighting is the psychological manipulation of a person, usually over an extended period of time, that BԪַcauses the victim to question the validity of their own thoughts, perception of reality, or memories and typically leads to confusion, loss of confidence and self-esteem, uncertainty of oneBԪַs emotional or mental stability, and a dependency on the perpetrator.BԪַ
More broadly, the dictionary defines the word thusly: BԪַThe act or practice of grossly misleading someone especially for oneBԪַs own advantage.BԪַ
Gaslighting is a heinous tool frequently used by abusers in relationships BԪַ and by politicians and other newsmakers. It can happen between romantic partners, within a broader family unit and among friends. It can be a corporate tactic, or a way to mislead the public. ThereBԪַs also BԪַmedical gaslighting,BԪַ when a health care professional dismisses a patientBԪַs symptoms or illness as BԪַall in your head.BԪַ
Despite its relatively recent prominence BԪַ including BԪַGaslighter,BԪַ The ChicksBԪַ 2020 album featuring the rousingly angry titular single BԪַ the word was brought to life more than 80 years ago with BԪַGas Light,BԪַ a 1938 play by Patrick Hamilton.
It birthed two film adaptations in the 1940s. One, George CukorBԪַs BԪַGaslightBԪַ in 1944, starred Ingrid Bergman as Paula Alquist and Charles Boyer as Gregory Anton. The two marry after a whirlwind romance and Gregory turns out to be a champion gaslighter. Among other instances, he insists her complaints over the constant dimming of their London townhouseBԪַs gaslights is a figment of her troubled mind. It wasnBԪַt.
The death of Angela Lansbury in October drove some interest in lookups of the word, Sokolowski said. She played Nancy Oliver, a young maid hired by Gregory and told not to bother his BԪַhigh-strungBԪַ wife.
The term gaslighting was later used by mental health practitioners to clinically describe a form of prolonged coercive control in abusive relationships.
BԪַThere is this implication of an intentional deception,BԪַ Sokolowski said. BԪַAnd once one is aware of that deception, itBԪַs not just a straightforward lie, as in, you know, I didnBԪַt eat the cookies in the cookie jar. ItBԪַs something that has a little bit more devious quality to it. It has possibly an idea of strategy or a long-term plan.BԪַ
Merriam-Webster, which logs 100 million pageviews a month on its site, chooses its word of the year based solely on data. Sokolowski and his team weed out evergreen words most commonly looked up to gauge which word received a significant bump over the year before.
They donBԪַt slice and dice why people look up words, which can be anything from quick spelling and definition checks to some sort of attempt at inspiration or motivation. Some of the droves who looked up BԪַgaslightingBԪַ this year might have wanted to know, simply, if itBԪַs one or two words, or whether itBԪַs hyphenated.
BԪַGaslighting,BԪַ Sokolowski said, spent all of 2022 in the top 50 words looked up on merriam-webster.com to earn top dog word of the year status. Last yearBԪַs pick was BԪַvaccine.BԪַ Rounding out this yearBԪַs Top 10 are:
BԪַ BԪַOligarch,BԪַ driven by RussiaBԪַs invasion of Ukraine.
BԪַ BԪַOmicron,BԪַ the persistent COVID-19 variant and the 15th letter of the Greek alphabet.
BԪַ BԪַCodify,BԪַ as in turning abortion rights into federal law.
BԪַ BԪַQueen consort,BԪַ what King CharlesBԪַ wife, Camilla is newly known as.
BԪַ BԪַRaid,BԪַ as in the search of former President Donald TrumpBԪַs Mar-a-Lago home.
BԪַ BԪַSentient,BԪַ with lookups brought on by Google canning the engineer who claimed an unreleased AI system had become sentient.
BԪַ BԪַCancel culture,BԪַ enough said.
BԪַ BԪַLGBTQIA,BԪַ for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, and asexual, aromantic or agender.
BԪַ BԪַLoamy,BԪַ which many Wordle users tried back in August, though the right word that day was BԪַclown.BԪַ
BԪַĔĔ
By Leanne Italie
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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