The Oxford Dictionary’s Word of the Year is apparently "youthquake," and social media reactions seem to be mostly consisting of bewildered confusion. A report by The Guardian presented many of the facts relayed in this article.

It seems that the word, which very few people have ever used or even heard of, means “...a significant cultural, political, or social change arising from the actions or influence of young people.” The term seemingly refers to an increase in political activism and involvement by younger generations, although the word was first used back in the 1960s.

Oxford Dictionaries has confirmed the word of the year, although they have admitted that it may surprise many.

Casper Grathwohl, the president of Oxford Dictionaries, said it wasn't the most obvious choice, pointing out that it had no cultural impact in America.

The apparent rise in young voters prompted the decision for the 2017 word of the year, stemming from its increased use during the month of June during the UK General Election. Many experts have claimed that the Labour Party benefited from the "youth vote," with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn especially popular among millennials.

More optimistic than 2016

In 2016 the word of the year was "post-truth," with the dictionary group referring to its increased usage in the months following the Brexit vote and the election of Donald Trump.

They claim that "Youthquake" has seen a five-fold increase in usage throughout 2017, and that it was a hopeful word in light of what they called a "...difficult and divisive year." With a 401 percent increase in people using the word, "youthquake" was selected from a number of options that many believe are more relevant to the difficult year.

Other words that were in the running for word of the year included:

Antifa - an abbreviation for "anti-fascist."

Broflake - a man who is too sensitive to progressive opinions, from the increasingly popular "snowflake."

Kompromat - a timely Russian word for compromising material used for blackmail.

Best social media reactions

Grathwohl justified the word of the year in a statement, saying that "youthquake" was chosen not only because it was linguistically interesting, but because it is "...a rare political word that sounds a hopeful note.”

What do you think?

Have you ever used the word "youthquake" before, and if not, what would your word of the year be? How does it compare to 2015, when the word of the year was "emoji?" Or even 2014, when it was "vape?" Perhaps the most telling word of the year was in 2013 when it was "selfie."
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