Merriam-Webster looks for 2023’s most authentic word

NEWS AND OPINION:

Merriam-Webster — which has been publishing dictionaries since 1847 — has revealed its annual choice for the “Word of the Year” — an honor bestowed upon a single word that has emerged as much both popular and sought after.

That word is “authentic.”

It is a term that reflects “something people are thinking about, writing about, aspiring to, and judging more than ever,” the dictionary said in a statement released Monday that noted increased interest in artificial intelligence.

“A high-volume lookup most years, authentic saw a substantial increase in 2023, driven by stories and conversations about AI, celebrity culture, identity, and social media,” the statement said.

“Authentic has a number of meanings which include ‘not false or imitation,’ a synonym of real and actual; and also ‘true to one’s own personality, spirit, or character,’” it said.

So what’s behind the interest in authentic, the word?

“The rise of AI helped drive interest in the word,” said Peter Sokolowski, editor-at-large for Merriam-Webster.

“The line between ‘real’ and ‘fake’ has become increasingly blurred. As a result, in social media and marketing, authentic has become the gold standard for building trust — and authenticity, ironically, has become a performance,” he said.

A few more words also emerged as favorites this year: deepfake, dystopian, coronation, x and rizz.

“As always, our top lookups offer a window into the world — revealing experiences and ideas that shaped the year,” Mr. Sokolowski said.

Indeed, faked images of celebrities, yellow skies from the Canadian wildfires, the crowning of British King Charles III and Elon Musk’s decision to rename Twitter “X” all played a part in the popularity of the first four words.

And rizz? It is technically internet-driven slang, according to Merriam-Webster.

“As a noun, rizz means ’romantic appeal or charm (as in ’a bro who has rizz’); as a verb (typically used with up, as in ‘rizz up that cutie’) it means ‘to charm or seduce.’ It’s frequently considered a play on charisma, but YouTuber Kai Cenat, widely credited with coining the word, says nah, that’s not what it’s from. No other lexical inspiration has been identified though,” the dictionary noted in an explanation published Monday.

REPUBLICANS’ WARNING

“173 extreme House Democrats voted for reduced penalties for violent crime in Washington, D.C., and these are the painful consequences” according to Will Reinert, press secretary for the National Republican Congressional Committee.

He points to news coverage of a recent Saturday night shooting in the District of Columbia, which marked the city’s 250th homicide this year.

“If extreme House Democrats will vote to coddle violent criminals in their city of work, they will pursue a pro-crime policy that will make you fear for your life in your local neighborhood as well,” Mr. Reinert said in a written statement shared with Inside the Beltway.

The bill in question is titled “Disapproving the action of the District of Columbia Council in approving the Revised Criminal Code Act,” and the vote took place Feb. 9.

HOW BAD IS THE ECONOMY?

“After years of inflation, U.S. consumers are shouldering a burden unlike anything seen in decades — even as the pace of price increases has slowed,” Bloomberg.com reported in a disquieting analysis released Monday.

“It now requires $119.27 to buy the same goods and services a family could afford with $100 before the pandemic. Since early 2020, prices have risen about as much as they had in the full 10 years preceding the health emergency,” the analysis said.

“It’s hard to find an area of a household budget that’s been spared: Groceries are up 25% since January 2020. Same with electricity. Used-car prices have climbed 35%, auto insurance 33% and rents roughly 20%. Those figures help explain why Americans continue to register strong dissatisfaction with the economy: Consumers’ daily routines have largely returned to their pre-pandemic normal, but the cost of living has not,” the research said.

The Republican Party, meanwhile, is looking askance at the Biden administration for persistent shortages at grocery stores and other retailers.

“In three years, Americans have struggled with shortages of baby formula, diapers, medications, and more. Meanwhile, prices have climbed and real wages have plummeted since January 2021. Joe Biden can make empty election year promises all he wants, but the failure of Bidenomics speaks for itself,” Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a written statement shared with Inside the Beltway.

ONLINE FACTOID

“As businesses prep for increased online holiday shopping this year, it’s more important than ever for businesses to be ready to capitalize on e-commerce sales. Did you know that online shoppers expect to find what they’re looking for within 11 seconds of visiting a business’ website?” Forbes.com asked in a consumer report released Monday.

“We found that 72% of online shoppers report that a poorly designed website directly affects their opinion of a business, while 50% say they won’t recommend a friend to shop at a business if their website is hard to navigate,” the site said.

POLL DU JOUR

• 26% of U.S. adults are “very confident” that they can tell real news from “fake news.”

• 27% of Republicans, 22% of independents and 30% of Democrats agree.

• 50% are “somewhat confident” they can tell real news from “fake news.”

• 50% of Republicans, 55% of independents and 45% of Democrats agree.

• 16% are “not very confident” they can tell real news from fake news.

• 15% of Republicans, 15% of independents and 18% of Democrats agree,

• 2% are “not at all confident” they can tell real news from fake news.

• 3% of Republicans, 2% of independents and 2% of Democrats agree.

• 5% are not sure about the matter.

• 5% of Republicans, 7% of independents and 5% of Democrats agree.

SOURCE: An Economist/YouGov poll of 1,500 U.S. adults conducted Nov. 9-13.

• Helpful information to jharper@washingtontimes.com.