Merriam-Webster adds ‘gaslighting’ as its word of the year. The term quickly gained popularity in the English language as people used it in reference to someone else’s manipulation. Read more details on Webster’s latest addition inside.

The most notable American dictionary publisher, Merriam-Webster, defined the term gaslighting as the “psychological manipulation of a person usually over an extended period of time that causes the victim to question the validity of their own thoughts, perception of reality, or memories.”

We referenced the impact of words like gaslighting for Gen-Z in a post about the A24 film, “Bodies Bodies Bodies.” In the article, it mentions how words are weapons and can significantly affect the way we communicate and interact with one another.

Some people reference gaslighting as a form of deceitful manipulation that could take many forms. Now This News uses a medical professional telling their patient that their pain is all in their head as an example of gaslighting. They also share the comparison of a politician denying ever having made statements that they did, in fact, make. (Cough, cough! Donald Trump)

“It’s a word that has risen so quickly in the English language, and especially in the last four years, that it actually came as a surprise to me and to many of us. It was a word looked up frequently every single day of the year,” Peter Sokolowski, Merriam-Webster’s editor at large, told the Associated Press.

According to the popular dictionary, there were several other words that climbed to the top for most searched words this year. Some include: oligarch, Omicron, codify, LGBTQIA, sentient, loamy, raid, and queen consort.

Last year’s word of the year was ‘vaccine,’ and the word of 2020 was ‘pandemic.’ Both words being the most searched words of the last two years makes sense, considering the global epidemic many faced with Coronavirus.

Fans continuously use gaslighting in various contexts across the Internet, especially regarding being self-aware and for those on the path to spiritual enlightenment. This word is used a lot!

Stop gaslighting your own nervous system. Maybe the problem isn’t you. You’re not overreacting or being too sensitive. You’re having a completely healthy and appropriate response to how someone treated you or to your circumstances. Validate your body’s ability to read the signals

— مريم حسنا (@Maryamhasnaa) November 28, 2022

You can’t force people to become self-aware, no matter how well-intentioned you are. Some people will choose to run from themselves, before they can really look at who they are. That’s often when manipulation and gaslighting show up as well.

— V A L E N C I A (@SayItValencia) November 27, 2022

Here’s how it may sound:

Has someone been gaslighting you? pic.twitter.com/WZvCVZ1Ao2

— Jacklena Bentley (@JacklenaB) November 25, 2022

If you haven’t already, will you be adding ‘gaslighting’ to your vernacular?

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