Merriam-Webster names Word of the Year for 2025: What is it and what does it mean?
Merriam-Webster has officially crowned ‘slop’ as the 2025 Word of the Year. The term, which originally referred to soft mud or pig food, has evolved to describe the flood of low-quality digital content produced by artificial intelligence. Editors at the dictionary noted that ‘slop’ captures the essence of the year’s online chaos in just four letters.
In 2025, people encountered slop everywhere: absurd AI videos, poorly designed advertisements, misleading news, hastily written AI books, and endless online cat clips. While some users were annoyed, others consumed it voraciously, proving the appeal of quirky, disposable content. Outlets such as The Wall Street Journal warned that “AI Slop is Everywhere,” while CNET called social media an “antisocial wasteland” dominated by it.
Slop’s linguistic history reflects its current usage. In the 1700s, it meant soft mud, evolving to ‘food waste’ in the 1800s, and later came to signify anything of little or no value. In 2025, amid widespread debates over AI, the word took on a mocking tone, suggesting that despite advanced technology, human creativity remains difficult to replace.
Other notable words of the year included:
- Gerrymander – People searched the term as politicians redrew districts to gain unfair advantages.
- Touch grass – A reminder for online users to reconnect with real-life activities.
- Performative – Highlighting actions done for show rather than genuine intent, from activism to social media trends.
- Tariff – Renewed interest due to trade debates and import duties.
- Six seven – Viral Gen Alpha slang, inspired by a song and NBA star LaMelo Ball.
- Conclave – Spiked after Pope Francis’s death and the Vatican election of a successor.
Even unusual words drew attention, such as the New England lake with the famously long name: Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg, which became a popular lookup through the Roblox game Spelling Bee.
For 2025, slop summed up the year’s online experience: messy, overwhelming, often ridiculous, yet undeniably part of modern life.