What?
Much like the end of year music, film and TV favourites, the Oxford Dictionaries has selected their word of the year and we’re guessing that you’ve never even used it.
“Youthquake”, defined as “a significant cultural, political, or social change arising from the actions or influence of young people”, has topped the list after registering a 401% increase in usage over the past 12 months.
The reason why ‘Youthquake’ grew in popularity was due to the belief that the burgeoning importance that millennials are having with regards to political change.
The publishers cited the UK and New Zealand general elections as examples of young voters mobilising to support opposition parties.
This being said, it appears that hardly anyone has ever used that word.
I have never heard or seen anyone use that word. https://t.co/mnjbeKLTkk
— Richard Chambers (@newschambers) December 15, 2017
https://twitter.com/jimwaterson/status/941576913730097152
Apparently it’s all about "youthquake", "antifa" and "broflake". Yeah. I had to Google them too… https://t.co/QZiOuUR9Ar
— Nik Hewitt (@nikhewitt) December 15, 2017
https://twitter.com/blairmcdougall/status/941575876826845184
Learning that milkshake duck narrowly missed on being Oxford dictionary’s word of the year, losing out to “youthquake”. What a wasted opportunity.
— Rosalind (@rozya) December 15, 2017
In terms of the other words that made the list, here’s what people have been saying.
To quote Miss Hoover from The Simpsons, the following words are all perfectly cromulent.
Antifa noun: A political protest movement comprising autonomous groups affiliated by their militant opposition to fascism and other forms of extreme right-wing ideology
broflake noun, informal, derogatory: A man who is readily upset or offended by progressive attitudes that conflict with his more conventional or conservative views
gorpcore noun: A style of dress incorporating utilitarian clothing of a type worn for outdoor activities
kompromat noun: Compromising information collected for use in blackmailing, discrediting, or manipulating someone, typically for political purposes
Milkshake Duck noun: A person or thing that initially inspires delight on social media but is soon revealed to have a distasteful or repugnant past
newsjacking noun: The practice of taking advantage of current events or news stories in such a way as to promote or advertise one’s product or brand
unicorn adjective [attributive]: Denoting something, especially an item of food or drink, that is dyed in rainbow colours, decorated with glitter, etc.
white fragility noun: Discomfort and defensiveness on the part of a white person when confronted by information about racial inequality and injustice
