Special Report

Every Oxford ‘Word of the Year’ Since 2004

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It sometimes feels as if a year can be summed up in a single word or a phrase. Depending on the year, it might signify a cultural or political phenomenon or preoccupation. It might be a brand new word, a combination of words, or an old word that has acquired new meanings. (These 10 words don’t mean what you think they do.)

24/7 Tempo has consulted the Oxford Languages Word of the Year report to compile a list of every word so designated since 2004, the first year the dictionary publisher began keeping a tally. The Oxford selections are made by a team of specialists, including lexicographers, dictionary consultants, and editorial staff. “Every year,” writes Oxford, “we debate candidates for word of the year and choose a winner that is judged to reflect the ethos, mood, or preoccupations of that particular year and to have lasting potential as a word of cultural significance.” 

In the list below, the primary definition of each word is drawn from the Oxford English Dictionary, the Oxford Languages website, or some other source associated with Oxford. In cases where no official definition is available, comments are made below in brackets. For seven of the eight years between 2005 and 2012, Oxford chose two words (or phrases) annually, one for the U.K. and one for the U.S. Both are given here.

The word of the year for 2021, perhaps inevitably, is “vax” – short for “vaccine” or “vaccinate.” That’s a hopeful sign, because vaccination has been proven by science to be the best way to contain a pandemic. “Climate emergency” was the phrase chosen in 2019, reflecting increased awareness and concern about global warming and other threats to the environment. “Toxic” was the word of the year for 2018. It’s an old word but has many current applications, ranging from “toxic environment” to “toxic relationship.”

Click here to see every Oxford “Word of the Year” since 2004

Some of the British words of the year never caught on in the U.S. Probably not many Americans know that a “chav” is a brash, loutish young person, whereas almost everybody in the U.K. does. (While we’re on the subject, Americans don’t often use the word “loutish” either.) Similarly, “bovvered” and “omnishambles” were on everybody’s lips in the U.K. in 2006 and 2012, respectively, but didn’t register in the U.S.  

Then there are words that reflect the global culture created by technology, including smartphones and social media. Among these were “podcast,” from 2005, and “selfie,” from 2013.  (Here are 30 words that didn’t exist 30 years ago.)

2004: Chav
> Part of speech: Noun

A young person of a type characterized by brash and loutish behaviour and the wearing of designer-style clothes (esp. sportswear).

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2005 (US): Podcast
> Part of speech: Noun

A digital audio file of speech, music, broadcast material, etc., made available on the internet for downloading to a computer or portable media player.

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2005 (UK): Sudoku
> Part of speech: Noun

A type of logic puzzle, the object of which is to fill a grid of nine squares by nine squares (subdivided into nine regions of three-by-three squares) with the numbers one to nine, in such a way that every number appears only once in each horizontal line, vertical line, and three-by-three subdivision.

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2006 (US): Carbon-neutral
> Part of speech: Adjective

Making or resulting in zero net emission of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.

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2006 (UK): Bovvered
> Part of speech: Adjective

Used rhetorically to express indifference to or a lack of concern about something (with allusion to the catchphrase of a character played by British comedian Catherine Tate).

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2007 (US): Locavore
> Part of speech: Noun

A person whose diet consists only or principally of locally grown or produced food.

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2007 (UK): Carbon footprint
> Part of speech: Noun phrase

The environmental impact of a particular individual, community, or organization, or of a specific event, product, etc., measured in terms of the total associated greenhouse gas emissions.

2008 (US): Hypermiling
> Part of speech: Noun

The practice of making adjustments to a vehicle or using driving techniques that will maximize the vehicle’s fuel economy.

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2008 (UK): Credit crunch
> Part of speech: Noun phrase

A severe reduction in lending by banks and other financial institutions, typically as a result of widespread (or anticipated) defaulting on loans, mortgages, etc.

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2009 (US): Unfriend
> Part of speech: Verb

To remove (a person) from a list of friends or contacts on a social networking website.

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2009 (UK): Simples
> Part of speech: Interjection

Used (usually immediately after a statement giving a solution to a problem) to indicate that something is very simple or straightforward to do, understand, resolve, etc.

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2010 (US): Refudiate
> Part of speech: Verb

Used loosely to mean “to reject” [a portmanteau of “repudiate” and “refute”].

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2010 (UK): Big society
> Part of speech: Noun phrase

A political concept whereby a significant amount of responsibility for the running of a society’s services is devolved to local communities and volunteers.

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2011: Squeezed middle
> Part of speech: Noun phrase

The section of society regarded as particularly affected by inflation, wage freezes, and cuts in public spending during a time of economic difficulty, consisting principally of those people on low or middle incomes.

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Maxchered / iStock / Getty Images Plus

2012 (US): GIF
> Part of speech: Noun

A standard format for encoding images as compressed color bitmap graphics files which enables them to be displayed, stored, and transmitted between networks.

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2012 (UK): Omnishambles
> Part of speech: Noun

Chiefly in political contexts: a situation that has been comprehensively mismanaged, or is characterized by a series of blunders and miscalculations.

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2013: Selfie
> Part of speech: Noun

A photograph that one has taken of oneself, esp. one taken with a smartphone or webcam and shared via social media.

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2014: Vape
> Part of speech: Verb

To inhale and exhale the vapour of (a substance) using an electronic cigarette or similar device.

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2015: [Face with tears of joy emoji]
> Part of speech: Emoji

[“Chosen as the ‘word’ that best reflected the ethos, mood, and preoccupations of 2015.”]

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2016: Post-truth
> Part of speech: Adjective

Relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping political debate or public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.

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2017: Youthquake
> Part of speech: Noun

A significant cultural, political, or social change arising from the actions or influence of young people.

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2018: Toxic
> Part of speech: Adjective

[“It is the sheer scope of its application, as found by our research, that made toxic the stand-out choice for the Word of the Year title.”]

2019: Climate emergency
> Part of speech: Noun phrase

A situation in which urgent action is required to reduce or halt climate change and avoid potentially irreversible environmental damage resulting from it.

psphotograph / iStock via Getty Images

2020: (none)
> Part of speech: n/a

[“As our Word of the Year process started and this data was opened up, it quickly became apparent that 2020 is not a year that could neatly be accommodated in one single ‘word of the year’.”]

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2021: Vax
> Part of speech: Noun and verb

[Not defined by Oxford, but short for “vaccine” or “vaccinate.”]

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