It's no trick; Merriam-Webster says 'gaslighting' is the word of the year

Gas lamps illuminate St. Louis' Gaslight Square on April 2, 1962. "Gaslighting" — mind manipulating, grossly misleading, downright deceitful — is Merriam-Webster's word of 2022. (JMH/AP)

NEW YORK — "Gaslighting" — mind manipulating, grossly misleading, downright deceitful — is Merriam-Webster's word of the year.

Lookups for the word on merriam-webster.com increased 1,740% in 2022 over the year before. But something else happened. There wasn't a single event that drove significant spikes in the curiosity, as it usually goes with the chosen word of the year.