‘Polarization’ is Merriam-Webster’s word of the year: ‘Something everyone agrees on’

The premier US dictionary’s pick, based on search traffic, reflects a year of political and celebrity division

Collins dictionary went with “brat”. Oxford chose “brain rot”. But in a brutally divided country, the US’s premier dictionary skipped the slang: Merriam-Webster’s word of the year is “polarization”.

The announcement comes in an election year that put the concept on display, as Kamala Harris warned of fascism under Donald Trump, while Trump resorted to name-calling and claimed his opponent was running on “destruction”. As the dictionary put it, polarization “happens to be one idea that both sides of the political spectrum agree on”.