Doomscrolling On A Staycation? Here Are The OED’s ‘Words Of An Unprecedented Year’

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«Flatten the curve is one of the many new phrases introduced into the lexicon this year that would’ve made little sense in 2019.





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The report notes that by April, the word «coronavirus was more frequently used than the word «time, one of the most frequently used nouns in the English language.

Our vocabulary also reflected how we responded to the coronavirus pandemic, as well as its effects on the economy so words such as «remote, «Zoom-ready and «furlough saw a sharp rise in usage.

Not all of the words on the OED list are directly tied to the coronavirus pandemic. «Black Lives Matter, «defund, and «systemic racism saw a rise this summer, coinciding with the protests over racism and police violence.

Last year’s Word of the Year was «climate emergency, but according to the OED, the usage of climate-related terms plummeted earlier this year, and now show signs of ticking back up again slowly.

If language is a living thing, then 2020 qualifies as a growth spurt.