— Oxford Languages (@OxLanguages) November 14, 2018 The runners up for 2018 are “gaslighting,” “incel,” “Techlash,” “Gammon,” “Big Dick Energy,” “Cakeism,” “Overtourism,” and “Orbiting.” For the curious, “Big Dick Energy” means “an attitude of understated and casual confidence.” Twitter user @imbobswaget is credited with coining the phrase in relation to a memorial for Anthony Bourdain. Moreover, Ariana Grande used the phrase in a now-deleted twitter exchange with her then fiancé Pete Davidson. “Cakeism” is a UK-based word that “is the belief that it is possible to enjoy or take advantage of both of two desirable but mutually exclusive alternatives at once.” A great metaphor for Brexit, no? The 2017 word of the year was “Youthquake,” defined as ‘a significant cultural, political or social change arising from the actions or influence of young people.” 2016 saw “Post-Truth” inaugurated as the truth of the year. For more information about OED’s word of the year, check out their Word of the Year website.
