In 2003, Merriam-Webster kicked off the annual tradition of choosing a "word of the year," based on search volume on the dictionary publisher's website, which serves as an on-the-nose superlative of the current cultural landscape.
The first word chosen—"democracy"—aligned perfectly with where American heads were at during the start of the Iraq War and a George W. Bush presidency. Decades later, their latest pick is equally fitting when it comes to summarizing the headlines published during one of the tensest election years in history.
