Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year: 'Vaccine'... Last Year Was 'Pandemic'

by Kwon Jaehee

Published 30 Nov.2021 10:48(KST)

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] The Merriam-Webster dictionary in the United States has selected "vaccine" as the Word of the Year for 2021, CNN and other U.S. media reported on the 29th (local time).

Merriam-Webster stated, "We chose 'vaccine' as the Word of the Year because it is both a primary cause of political division and a promising medical solution."

The word selected by Merriam-Webster last year was "pandemic."

Merriam-Webster selects the Word of the Year annually based on word lookup frequency and growth rate. Searches for "vaccine" increased by 601% compared to last year and by 1048% compared to the year before last.

Peter Sokolowski, senior editor at Merriam-Webster, evaluated, "The word 'vaccine' carries two similar but interesting narratives: one medical and the other political or cultural."

CNN also analyzed, "For some, it is a symbol of hope and health, while for others, it represents a political issue."

With new research on vaccines emerging, Merriam-Webster revised and expanded the vaccine entry in May. In addition to "immunity," an entry for "immune response" was also added.

Editor Sokolowski explained, "Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines were unheard of, and unless you are a scientific researcher, you probably had never heard of them either. Therefore, there was no definition in the dictionary."

He predicted that many people will continue to look up "vaccine" over the coming years.

Alongside this, Merriam-Webster included words like "riot" and "perseverance" in the top 10 Words of the Year.

Searches for the word "riot" increased by 61,000% the day after supporters of former U.S. President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol on January 6. Sokolowski said, "It is a word that encompasses the shock of that day."