This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost Australia, which closed in 2021.

Oxford Dictionaries' Word Of The Year Perfectly Sums Up Life Right Now

Oxford Dictionaries' Word Of The Year Perfectly Sums Up Life Right Now
Oxford Dictionaries

“Post-truth” is Oxford Dictionaries’ 2016 “Word of the Year.”

The definition of “post-truth” (adj.) is: “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.”

If this seems so on-the-pulse you nearly want to vomit, then you should know that editors of Oxford Dictionaries said that the term has ballooned by around 2,000 percent in 2016, courtesy of “the EU referendum in the United Kingdom and the presidential election in the United States.”

Basically, Brexit and Donald Trump are impacting more than just people’s lives, but also the English language.

The Oxford Dictionaries’ word of the year exists as a means of “reflect[ing] the passing year in language,” which explains why last year’s “word” was the “face with tears of joy” emoji.

Other options for this year’s word of the year included:

What a time to be alive.

Close
This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost Australia. Certain site features have been disabled. If you have questions or concerns, please check our FAQ or contact support@huffpost.com.