‘Gaslighting’ chosen as Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year 2022

As 2022 comes to a close, many brands & organisations begin to unveil what defined their 2022 and Merriam-Webster dictionary is no exception, choosing ‘gaslighting‘ as their word of the year.

The term ‘gaslighting’ reportedly dates back to the 20th century and means “psychological manipulation of a person usually over an extended period of time that causes the victim to question the validity of their own thoughts, perception of reality, or memories.”While the decision sadly shines a light on the state of the world in 2022, the act of gaslighting seems to have become more common than ever before, with many within communities of LGBTQ+, women, people of colour and more using the word to describe acts of oppression.

Searches for the word blew up in 2022, with Merriam Webster themselves reporting an increase of 1,740% in searches.

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