Merriam-Webster’s 2024 word of the year is “polarization” which was heard around the world during this year’s heated election season. Polarization was joined by other popular searched words that competed for word of the year,

Merriam-Webster's word of the year and list of other top-searched words were influenced by politics, Taylor Swift, TikTok and ChatGPT.

The famous American dictionary publisher on Monday announced that “polarization”—defined as “division into two sharply distinct opposites; especially, a state in which the opinions, beliefs, or interests of a group or society no longer range along a continuum but become concentrated at opposing extremes”—is its Word of the Year for 2024.

With less than a month left until January, Merriam-Webster has chosen its 2024 Word of the Year, one that has often defined the political landscape of the United States and its candidates. The word, the book company reported,

A word that has been used incessantly to describe the fraught state of American politics and society is Merriam-Webster’s 2024 word of year. That word is “polarization.”

Demure came close but was beaten out by a descriptor of one of the most tense election years in recent history

The dictionary publisher said Americans from competing tribes looked up the definition to better understand divided politics at home and worldwide.

Merriam-Webster’s word of the year is one that the dictionary suggests unifies both sides of the aisle. The dictionary publisher said Monday that “polarization” is its 2024 word of the year, defining it as “division into two sharply distinct opposites;