“Permacrisis” has been chosen to represent the current state of global affairs
(Picture: PA Wire)Collins Dictionary has named “permacrisis” the word of the year after an extended period which has seen people live through crises including war, inflation, climate change and political instability.
The word has seen an increased usage due to the ongoing insecurty in the world.
Permacrisis is one of six terms on the Collins list which are new to CollinsDictionary.com, despite the fact it was first noted in academic contexts in the Seventies.
Another word that was included this year is “partygate”, which refers to the political scandal of social gatherings in Downing Street amid Covid lockdown restrictions.
Here’s everything you need to know about the word permacrisis and why it is the word of the year.
What does permacrisis mean and why is it the Collins Dictionary word of the year?
Permacrisis is defined as “an extended period of instability and insecurity”.
Collins said it chose the word as it “sums up quite succinctly how truly awful 2022 has been for so many people”.
Alex Beecroft, the managing director of Collins Learning, said the list reflects “the state of the world right now”.
“Language can be a mirror to what is going on in society and the wider world and this year has thrown up challenge after challenge,” he added.
“It is understandable that people may feel — after living through upheaval caused by Brexit, the pandemic, severe weather, the war in Ukraine, political instability, the energy squeeze and the cost-of-living crisis — that we are living in an ongoing state of uncertainty and worry.”
Collins Dictionary top 10 word list
The list of 10 words, topped by permacrisis, also includes:
- Partygate — the scandal of social gatherings in Downing Street.
- Kyiv — after Ukraine’s capital city came to represent the country standing up to Russian aggression.
- Warm bank — a phrase referring to buildings such as public libraries or places of worship opening their doors over winter months to provide a space for people struggling to heat their homes during the cost-of-living crisis.
- Quiet quitting — performing basic duties at work, but no more, to combat competitive careerism.
- Vibe shift — meaning a large change in the prevailing atmosphere or culture.
- Carolean — the time following Queen Elizabeth II’s Elizabethan era, ruled over by the King.
- Lawfare — the strategic use of legal proceedings to intimidate or hinder an opponent.
- Splooting — the act of a cat or animal lying with splayed legs, to counter unusually high temperatures.
- Sportwashing — a term referring to organisations and countries which use sports to enhance their reputation.
Collins Dictionary monitors its 18 billion-word database and a range of media sources, including social media, to create its annual list of new and notable words.
