Explained: A year for the ‘woman’, why Dictionary.com declared it as 2022 Word of the Year

After much anticipation and deliberation, Dictionary.com declared ‘woman’ as the Word of the Year for 2022 on December 13. Defending their choice, the website said that it is “a word that is inseparable from the story of 2022”. The searches for the word, especially in the months of February and March, increased by more than 1,400% which was unusual for a regular vocable. The amount of times ‘woman’ was searched in 2022 was double the routine search volume for the word in previous years. 

“Our selection of ‘woman’ as our 2022 Word of the Year reflects how the intersection of gender, identity, and language dominates the current cultural conversation and shapes much of our work as a dictionary,” said the online dictionary’s website. The biggest search spike for the word on the website was reported at the end of March during the confirmation hearing for United States Judge Kentanji Brown Jackson where she was asked by Republican party Senator Marsha Blackburn to provide a definition for the word ‘woman’. Jackson was later confirmed as the first Black woman to be confirmed as a US Supreme Court justice.

How does one define the word ‘woman’?

The question came at the forefront numerous times this year. It was prominent during the international discourse regarding issues of transgender and personal identity. The main question faced was who gets to identify as a woman. In 2020, the Oxford English Dictionary updated its definition of the word 'woman' following complaints that the definition was “sexist”. The earlier definition in the Oxford English Dictionary included the phrase, "a man's wife, girlfriend or lover." The dictionary rephrased this part of the definition to, “a person’s wife, girlfriend or female lover”.

The Cambridge Dictionary has updated its definition of the word "woman" in a bid to make it more inclusive. The new definition will include anyone who "identifies as female," regardless of their sex at birth. The change is aimed at reflecting a definition that is more in keeping with the times. The definition of woman will not only include an "adult female human being," but also a woman who can be, "an adult who lives and identifies as female though they may have been said to have a different sex at birth.”

Dictionary.com said that the word woman was “a prime example of the many gender terms undergoing shifts in how and to whom they’re applied.” Our entries for woman and the inextricably-linked word 'female' do this by accounting for the many facets of such terms—biological, personal, and linguistic, the website said. “But the dictionary is not the last word on what defines a woman. The word belongs to each and every woman—however they define themselves,” the website added.

Instances in 2022 where women or the word ‘woman’ has been prominent

In May, a leak revealed the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, and lookups for ‘woman’ surged again, reported the website. In September, the death of Queen Elizabeth II captured the world’s attention in a way that few other things do, prompting discussion and debate about the life and the legacy of the woman who became one of the world’s longest reigning monarchs. In Iran, a 22-year-old woman, Mahsa Amini, died in the custody of the government’s so-called morality police, sparking outrage and a protest movement that has been primarily led by women, who are demanding greater freedom and autonomy.

The year was full of notable stories in women’s sports, including superstar Serena Williams’ announcement that she will be “evolving away from tennis”; ongoing debates about transgender athletes; the equal pay settlement reached by the US Women’s National Soccer Team; and WNBA star Brittney Griner’s internationally condemned imprisonment by Russia and her subsequent release.

What were the other words (terms) shortlisted by Dictionary.com for 2022 Word of the Year?

The shortlisted words for 2022 by the Dictionary.com reflected the mood of a year surrounded by “significant events and trends” taking place ranging from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to the online Wordle wave on Twitter. Five terms other than ‘woman’ were shortlisted for ‘Word of the Year’. The following were the other five shortlisted terms:

Ukraine Flag Emoji

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February this year enveloped the entire globe in a sense of alarm forcing nations worldwide to take a stand on the war. Reports of countless tragedies including a refugee crisis along with a serious loss to human life and infrastructure, soon surfaced and received widespread condemnation from countries and international organisations alike. One way to show solidarity with the Ukrainian people has been the use of the Ukraine flag in peoples’ social media bios and cover photos/banners. Many other terms related to the still ongoing war in Ukraine like ‘oligarch’ and ‘sanction’ were also some of the year’s top searches, said the website. 

Inflation

As the world barely commences to get back up from the crippling effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the word ‘inflation’ has reigned supreme in financial circles across the planet. It has become a hot topic for discussion and debate while almost everyone is gearing for its hard-hitting effects. Terms related to inflation like ‘hyperinflation’, ‘superinflation’, ‘shadow inflation’ and others are expected to continue being searched in the future as well. 

Quiet quitting

All of us saw a major paradigm shift related to work culture during the pandemic with employees working remotely or ‘working from home’. Many deliberations on the best way to produce efficiency at work during the pandemic led to many work-related terms entering our lexicon. One term that stood out was ‘quite quitting’, which refers to the practice of doing the minimum required to get a job done and not putting in more time and effort than absolutely necessary. 

Democracy

The word ‘democracy’ was amongst the top 50 searches in the entire year, according to Dictionary.com. The term has been especially active as its meaning has been debated time and again as governments across the world shift ideologies and go through various election processes. The discussion has mostly been around the subject of its precariousness. 

Wordle

Nobody could have thought that a simple word challenge game which occupies an average of only two to five minutes’ time of the user every day, would literally bring everyone together. The name of the game ‘Wordle’ has been added to the website, Dictionary.com stated. The 2022 Word of the Year - ‘woman’ is also a five-letter word, fitting the working of the popular online game.