2015's word of the year, according to Merriam-Webster's editors, is a three-letter suffix: "-ism." The editors say there have been huge spikes in searches for words ending with the suffix this year, including "socialism, fascism, racism, feminism, communism, capitalism, and terrorism," CBS News reports.
"These words reveal our curiosity and our engagement,” editor-at-large Peter Sokolowski said. "We're looking at the news through the prism of vocabulary. A definition can be the beginning of reflection. This year, we've certainly had a lot on our minds."
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Other popular lookups this year include the words marriage, hypocrite, respect, inspiration, and minion.
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Jeffrey Epstein's secretsFeature Six years after his death, conspiracy theories still swirl around the sex trafficker. Why?
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Voting: Trump's ominous war on mail ballotsFeature Donald Trump wants to sign an executive order banning mail-in ballots for the 2026 midterms
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School phone bans: Why they're spreadingFeature 17 states are imposing all-day phone bans in schools
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Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
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Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
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Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
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White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
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Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
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CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
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Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
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New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
