Collins dictionary declares 'Permacrisis' as word of the year; Here’s why

The year 2022 turned out to be a year of instability and major upsets, while the UK witnessed the death of the longest reigning monarch Queen Elizabeth II which was followed by the resignation of their Shortest serving Prime Minister Liz Truss. The world also gets anxious as the Russia-Ukraine conflict further deteriorates.

Looking at the mayhem 2022 has to offer the Collins English Dictionary announced the word “Permacrisis” as the word of the year. ‘Permacrisis’, a term that describes ‘an extended period of instability and insecurity ', has been named Collins Word of the Year 2022. Some of the other notable words that are part of the list include, Kyiv, warm bank, partygate, etc. Last year it was the word ‘NFT’ which became the word of the year indicating how the times have changed. 

Partygate, Truss resignation and the British mayhem 

Stating the reason why the word was chosen as the word of the year 2022, Collins Dictionary asserted that they chose the word as it is best to describe the instability in the UK and around the world. While talking about their decision Collins Dictionary wrote, “It is one of several words Collins highlights that relate to ongoing crises the UK and the world have faced and continue to face, including political instability, the war in Ukraine, climate change, and the cost-of-living crisis. Six words on Collins’ list of ten words of the year are new to CollinsDictionary.com, including ‘permacrisis’.”

The United Kingdom in the last few months has witnessed chaos, to say the least. While the former PM Boris Johnson resigned due to the controversies surrounding the partygate and policy issues. The UK also witnessed the resignation of now shortest-serving former Prime Minister Liz Truss, who stayed in power for a mere 45 days. 

The War and Climate Change

Collins Dictionary also talked about the Russia-Ukraine War along with the cost of living crisis and climate change, while the war has made the whole world anxious with the fear of the use of Nuclear weapons is at an all-time high. The issues of climate change and inflation are also something the world needs to deal with. Overall the chaos the world is in is perfectly described by the word of the year.