2025’s words of the year reflect a year of digital disillusionment

By: Roger J. Kreuz, University of Memphis, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: December 5, 2025

Words: 1,130

Last Updated: 1 month ago

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By Roger J. Kreuz, University of Memphis

Which terms best represent 2025?

Every year, editors for publications ranging from the Oxford English Dictionary to the Macquarie Dictionary of Australian English select a “word of the year.”

Sometimes these terms are thematically related, particularly in the wake of world-altering events. “Pandemic,” “lockdown” and “coronavirus,” for example, were among the words chosen in 2020. At other times, they are a potpourri of various cultural trends, as with …

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