Merriam-Webster Accused Of Bias After ‘Dictionary’ Named Word Of The Year

SPRINGFIELD, MA—Facing intense backlash and scrutiny from critics who say the reference book publisher had failed to take all words into consideration, Merriam-Webster was accused of bias Monday after officially selecting ‘dictionary’ as its 2025 word of the year. “Merriam-Webster clearly has a pro-dictionary bias that’s preventing it from considering all words equally,” lexicographer Alison Nielsen wrote in a widely shared social media post that lambasted the Merriam-Webster editorial team, claiming its members had allowed a “personal affinity for looking up words” to cloud their judgment. “I was willing to overlook it last year when their word of the year was ‘definition,’ but I can’t allow myself to turn a blind eye to this. The Merriam-Webster editorial board is stuck in its own media bubble. They need to look around and read a thesaurus once in a while.” At press time, reports confirmed Merriam-Webster appeared to have doubled down by changing the 2025 word of the year to “dictionaries.”