Conversations about President Trump, climate change, and even Toy Story 4's Forky all tie in to Dictionary.com's word of the year for 2019: "existential."
Dictionary.com announced the selection Monday, with the site saying searches for "existential" spiked throughout the year, such as after former Vice President Joe Biden labeled President Trump an "existential threat to America" or after people like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and activist Greta Thunberg referred to climate change as an "existential crisis" or an "existential emergency."
And yes, Forky, the sentient spork from Disney's Toy Story 4 who goes through an existential crisis while questioning his reason for being in the film, was also taken into consideration. Dictionary.com writes that "his dilemma actually speaks to a broader theme of threat and crisis reflected not only in culture and news, but also in our dictionary work throughout this year."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Talk about a depressing way to end the decade. Other word-of-the-year selections aren't much cheerier, though. Oxford Dictionaries went with "climate emergency," and its shortlist included words like "eco-anxiety" and "extinction." Last year, Dictionary.com's word of the year was "misinformation," while in in 2017, it was "complicit."
Other stories Dictionary.com ties in to its pick include the Hong Kong protests, Brexit, and the mass shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand, and El Paso, Texas. The word existential "captures a sense of grappling with the survival — literally and figuratively — of our planet, our loved ones, our ways of life," the site bleakly writes.
Happy New Year, everyone!
-
Is the UK government getting too close to Big Tech?Today’s Big Question US-UK tech pact, supported by Nvidia and OpenAI, is part of Silicon Valley drive to 'lock in' American AI with US allies
-
Russia’s war games and the threat to NatoIn depth Incursion into Poland and Zapad 2025 exercises seen as a test for Europe
-
Eurovision faces its Waterloo over Israel boycottsTalking Point Five major broadcasters have threatened to pull out of next year’s contest over Israel’s participation
-
At least 800 dead in Afghanistan earthquakespeed read A magnitude 6.0 earthquake hit a mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan
-
Massive earthquake sends tsunami across PacificSpeed Read Hundreds of thousands of people in Japan and Hawaii were told to evacuate to higher ground
-
FEMA Urban Search and Rescue chief resignsSpeed Read Ken Pagurek has left the organization, citing 'chaos'
-
Wildfires destroy historic Grand Canyon lodgeSpeed Read Dozens of structures on the North Rim have succumbed to the Dragon Bravo Fire
-
Search for survivors continues after Texas floodsSpeed Read A total of 82 people are confirmed dead, including 28 children
-
EPA is reportedly killing Energy Star programspeed read The program for energy-efficient home appliances has saved consumers billions in energy costs since its 1992 launch
-
US proposes eroding species protectionsSpeed Read The Trump administration wants to change the definition of 'harm' in the Environmental Protection Act to allow habitat damage
-
Severe storms kill dozens across central USSpeed Read At least 40 people were killed over the weekend by tornadoes, wildfires and dust storms
