Merriam-Webster Declares 'Authentic' the 2023 Word of the Year
The publishing company defines the adjective as "true to one's own personality, spirit or character"
Alamy
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary"America's Most Trusted Dictionary" has spoken.
Merriam-Webster, which was established back in 1828, has revealed its 2023 word of the year: "Authentic."
In an exclusive interview released Monday with the Associated Press, the publishing company's editor-at-large, Peter Sokolowski, discussed the important reason for the choice.
"We see in 2023 a kind of crisis of authenticity," he said. "What we realize is that when we question authenticity, we value it even more."
Related: Merriam-Webster Adds 690 New Definitions, Including 'Thirst Trap' and 'Chef’s Kiss'
Though there were no major spikes in searches for the word, Sokolowski said there was a constant interest, especially in a time of controversial artificial intelligence technology, the AP noted.
The word "authentic," by definition, is "not false or imitation," such as "an authentic cockney accent," Merriam-Webster gives as an example of the use of the adjective. "True to one's own personality, spirit or character."
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Related: 'Dad Bod' Is Officially in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary — See the Examples
In 2022, Merriam-Webster chose "gaslighting" as its word of the year, per Good Morning America, citing a statement from Sokolowski on the "striking" amount of searches, which were up 1,740%.
"In our age of misinformation — 'fake news,' conspiracy theories, Twitter trolls and deepfakes — gaslighting has emerged as a word for our time," he said. "From politics to pop culture to relationships, it has become a favored word for the perception of deception."
Merriam-Webster expanded on the word's theme on Monday, stating that "authentic is what brands, social media influencers and celebrities aspire to be."
"Now recognized as the 'gold standard' for building trust," with "authentic content creators," — "authenticity" has "become a performance," the publication added.
Other top word searches for this year include "indict," "dystopian," "coronation" and "doppelganger."
On Merriam-Webster's site, the online dictionary boasts "tens of millions of visitors" each month cumulatively among the company's "award-winning websites, apps and social media channels."
Merriam-Webster notes that it has been "America's leading provider of language information" for over 180 years, and its print edition, Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, is "among one of the best-selling books in American history."
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.
