‘Fake news’ named Word of the Year

Trump’s catchphrase beats ‘Corbynmania’ and ‘gig economy’ in Collins Dictionary’s shortlist

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“Fake news” has been named by Collins Dictionary as its Word of the Year for 2017 and will be added to the next printed edition.

The phrase has seen a 365% rise in usage in the past year - principally due to its frequent usage by US President Donald Trump, The Guardian reports.

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The shortlist for the “award” contained a number of political phrases and words that have cropped up over the past year, including “antifa” - an abbreviation of “anti-fascist” - and “echo chamber”, which refers to “those who share their opinions in environments, especially social media, where the only people who hear or read their views will be of a similar disposition”, reports Irish broadcaster RTE.

“Corbynmania” also made the shortlist, marking the surging popularity of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. “Fidget spinner”, a toy that has exploded in popularity with children worldwide over the past 12 months, also appeared.

Helen Newstead, head of language content for Collins, said: “Much of this year’s list is definitely politically charged, but with a new president in the US and a snap election in the UK, it is perhaps no surprise that politics continues to electrify the language.”