Merriam-Webster declares word of the year: ‘Polarization’

Merriam-Webster declared "polarization" as its 2024 Word of the Year, reflecting the deep divisions highlighted by the US presidential election. Lookups surged for words like "demure," "fortnight," and "allision" due to viral videos, music, and news events. "Resonate" saw increased usage in AI-generated texts, while "cognitive," "pander," and "democracy" captured political discourse.