Dictionary.com's word of the year is 'woman' - CNN

CNN  — 

“Woman” is Dictionary.com’s connection of the twelvemonth – a connection truthful elemental and truthful communal but nonetheless, according to the site, “inseparable from the communicative of 2022.”

This year’s prime is simply a reflection of the ongoing taste conversations astir gender, individuality and connection and however radical crook to the dictionary to marque consciousness of these analyzable issues, the online notation tract said successful Tuesday’s announcement.

“This year, the precise substance of the explanation of the connection ‘woman’ was astatine the halfway of truthful galore consequential moments, discussions, and decisions successful our society,” John Kelly, Dictionary.com’s elder manager of editorial, said successful a quality release. “Our enactment of ‘woman’ arsenic the Word of the Year for 2022 – and however the connection is defined, who is included successful that definition, who the connection applies and belongs to – highlights however important the enactment of a dictionary is, and however dictionaries tin interaction people’s lives.”

Despite the word’s ubiquity, Dictionary.com saw treble the accustomed hunt measurement this twelvemonth for “woman,” which the tract defines arsenic “an big pistillate person.” The biggest spike happened successful precocious March during the confirmation proceeding for Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the online notation said.

At the hearing, Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn notably asked then-Judge Jackson to define the connection “woman” arsenic portion of a line of questioning that attacked transgender pupil athletes. Throughout the year, different Republicans politicians besides evoked the question of what makes a pistillate a pistillate successful civilization warfare battles implicit transgender rights – GOP Rep. Andrew Clyde asked a akin question of a witnesser during a House committee proceeding successful July connected termination access.

Other large quality events besides played a portion successful wherefore Dictionary.com chose “woman” arsenic its connection of the year, including the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, the US women’s shot squad securing an adjacent wage deal, the decease of Queen Elizabeth II, Serena Williams’ announcement that she was “evolving away” from tennis, and the Iran protests.

“The utter assortment of each these events is simply a reminder that 1 connection tin ne'er sufficiently summarize oregon encapsulate an full year, particularly a twelvemonth arsenic relentlessly eventful, inflammatory, and inflationary arsenic 2022,” the tract said successful a station astir this year’s selection. “Nevertheless, 2022 volition beryllium remembered successful portion for its interaction connected women, and for women’s interaction connected a changing world.”

Given the sermon astir the connection “woman” this year, Dictionary.com was cautious to constituent retired that it wasn’t the last authorization connected the term, adding that “the connection belongs to each and each pistillate – nevertheless they specify themselves.”

The different words connected Dictionary.com’s shortlist besides supply a snapshot of the past year, with the Ukraine emblem emoji, “inflation,” “quiet quitting,” “democracy” and “Wordle” arsenic contenders.