Oxford Dictionaries announces ‘post-truth’ as 2016’s Word of the Year
The term has been in existence for roughly a decade, but the organization reported spikes in its use after UK’s EU referendum and the U.S. presidential election.
Those grappling with Brexit or President-elect Donald Trump’s recent victory now have a perfect descriptor for their feelings.
On Tuesday, Oxford English Dictionaries selected “post-truth” as its notable term of 2016.
Post-truth is the Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year 2016. Find out more: https://t.co/jxETqZMxsu pic.twitter.com/MVMuMyf83K
— Oxford Dictionaries (@OxfordWords) November 16, 2016
The adjective means: “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.”
Though “post-truth” has existed for a decade, OED reported a spike in the term’s use, especially in relation to United Kingdom’s EU referendum and the United States presidential election.
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