Merriam-Webster has selected the word of the year and it’s all about being true to yourself. The dictionary’s choice for 2023 is the word “authentic.”
While there has been a high number of searches for the word for the last several years, the editor says there was a “substantial increase” of them in 2023, thanks to “stories and conversations about AI, celebrity culture, identity and social media.” According to the announcement on Merriam-Webster’s site, the reason “authentic” is looked up so much is because it has several meanings, including “not false or imitation” and “true to one’s own personality, spirit, or character.” Merriam-Webster points out that celebrities including Sam Smith and Taylor Swift made headlines this year when talking about seeking their “authentic voice” and “authentic self.”
Other words that the dictionary says stood out in searches this year include:
“Rizz,” which started as Internet slang and was added to the dictionary in September. They define it as “romantic appeal or charm” as a noun, and as a verb, it means “to charm or seduce.” Kibbutz, coronation, dystopian, EGOT, implode, Doppelgänger and covenant are some of the other Merriam-Webster’s top words of 2023.