Merriam-Webster has unveiled its word of the year, and it's the aptly chosen "authentic."
America's oldest dictionary, Merriam-Webster, has announced "authentic" as its word of the year for 2023.
Merriam-Webster observed a "substantial rise" in online searches for the word this year.
This surge in interest was "fuelled by conversations and news stories centred on AI [artificial intelligence], celebrity culture, identity, and social media," according to the dictionary publisher.
A contributing factor to the word's popularity is its multifaceted nature, encompassing both "not fake or imitation" and "consistent with one's own personality, spirit, or character."
Despite its undeniable desirability, "authentic" is a complex term that can be difficult to define and is often the subject of debate, as noted by Merriam-Webster.
The publisher further explained that the word's popularity, which had already been high in past US searches, grew even more this year as the distinction between "real" and "fake" became increasingly hazy.
The AI boom contributed to this blurring of lines, prompting increased scrutiny over the authenticity of text, images, and videos, as noted by the company.
One of the leading contenders for the top spot was "deepfake," a term used to describe videos and photos that have been digitally manipulated using AI.
Meanwhile, brands, social media influencers, and celebrities also contributed to the word's popularity, including Elon Musk who has advocated for increased authenticity on social media.
Other top words from 2023 include the internet slang term "rizz" - an abbreviation for charisma, meaning romantic appeal or charm - and "indict," which experienced a surge in interest following the indictment, or charging, of former US President Donald Trump in four separate legal cases.
The top words in the US were not impervious to British influence. "Coronation" was also heavily searched after Charles III's coronation as the new king in May.
In 2022, the word of the year was "gaslighting," a colloquial term for manipulating someone to make them question
