Collins Dictionary has captured the troubled essence of 2022 in its Word Of The Year (WOTY) in a portmanteau – permacrisis. Permacrisis is a combination of two words, “permanent” and “crisis”. The term describes ‘an extended period of instability and insecurity.’ The lexicographers at Collins believe that the word aptly encompasses the ongoing crises in the UK and the world. Nine other words, including sportswashing and quiet quitting, also made it to the ten words of the year list. Six of the declared words on this list, including permacrisis, are new to CollinsDictionary.com.
The UK has moved from one unprecedented crisis to another in the 2020s. From the battered economy that the Bank of England talked about, to the political instability arising from the resignations of two Prime Ministers this year, the bleak scene does not seem to be ending. All across the world, war, climate change, and heartbreaking deprivation caused by inflation have reinforced this sense of permacrisis.
“It was very apparent this year that the conversation was dominated by crisis,” Helen Newstead, language content consultant at Collins Dictionary, told The Washington Post. The outlet reported that Newstead’s team look a database of 18 billion words to pick the one that best represents the year. They also refer to newspapers and social media sources.
Several other words on the list are related to permacrisis. You can find the list here:
Partygate- refers to ‘a political scandal over social gatherings held in British government offices during 2020 and 2021 in defiance of the public-health restrictions that prevailed at the time.’ This was one of the events that sparked political turbulence in the country.
Kyiv- The capital of Ukraine came into spotlight with the Russo-Ukrainian conflict. The world learned the Ukrainian spelling of the capital city “Kyiv”, which many would remember reading as “Kiev”.
Warm banks- It means ‘a heated building where people who cannot afford to heat their own homes may go.’ The phrase is reflective of the day-to-day ripple effects of war and inflation.
Vibe shift- means ‘a significant change in a prevailing cultural atmosphere or trend.’ The phrase is popular among younger people.
Quiet quitting- it is defined as ‘doing no more work than one is contractually obliged to do, esp in order to spend more time on personal activities.’
Lawfare- meaning ‘the strategic use of legal proceedings to intimidate or hinder an opponent’ has come under scrutiny as a preferred tactic in Russia to silence opponents.
Sportswashing- this describes ‘the sponsorship or promotion of sporting events in order to enhance a tarnished reputation or distract attention from a controversial activity’ and has been used to refer to Qatar’s sponsorship of FIFA World Cup to distract from human right issues.
Splooting- this refers to the ‘the act of lying flat on the stomach with the legs stretched out’, something that pets have been found doing to cool down.
Carolean- the dictionary defines this as ‘relating to Charles III of Great Britain and Northern Ireland or his reign.’ King Charles III is the current monarch of England.
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