The ideological battle between socialism and capitalism continues, this time atop Merriam-Webster’s Words of the Year list.
The terms shared the top spot on the annual list featuring the year’s most searched words on Merriam-Webster.com and a search of one often led to users looking up the other, said the dictionary’s editor-at-large, Peter Sokolowski.
Searches of the terms peaked following each debate and party conventions.
Election season weighed heavily on the list with marriage, democracy and globalization joining socialism and capitalism on the rankings. Malarkey, whose searches spiked after Vice President Joe Biden famously uttered it during an October debate, also made the list.
“It’s fascinating to see which language from a campaign or debate speech resonates with our users,” says John M. Morse, president and publisher at Merriam-Webster. “With socialism and capitalism, it’s clear that many people turned to the dictionary to help make sense of the commentary that often surrounds these words.”
Politics often invade the lists with austerity, bailout and democracy all topping the rankings within the past decade.
Merriam-Webster’s Words of the Year:
1. Socialism/Capitalism
2. Touche
3. Bigot
4. Marriage
5. Democracy
6. Professionalism
7. Globalization
8. Malarkey
9. Schadenfreude
10. Meme
