Merriam-Webster Announces “Slop” as the 2025 Word of the Year

Springfield, MA, Dec. 15, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today Merriam-Webster announced the 2025 Word of the Year: slop.

Slop is defined as “digital content of low quality that is produced usually in quantity by means of artificial intelligence.”

Throughout 2025, lookup volume of slop on Merriam-Webster.com reflected a flood of slop into everyday life, including absurd videos, off-kilter advertising images, cheesy propaganda, fake news that looks pretty real… and lots of talking cats.

“All that stuff was dumped on our screens,” says Greg Barlow, President of Merriam-Webster, “and the Word of the Year captured it in just four letters. The English language came through again.”

In 2025, amid all the talk about AI threats, slop set a tone that’s less fearful, more mocking. According to Peter Sokolowski, Merriam-Webster Editor at Large, “it’s almost like the word sends a little message to AI: when it comes to replacing human creativity, sometimes you don’t seem too superintelligent. “

Other words in Merriam-Webster’s lookup data revealed experiences and ideas that shaped the year:

Gerrymander – As both political parties created odd-looking districts that evoke the “salamander” in this word’s origins.
Performative – For a wide range of attention-getting behavior involving activism, patriotism, matcha, sensitive men, and more.
Touch grass – Often used insultingly, but also as an aspiration for people wanting to break their digital addiction.
Six seven – The hit Gen Alpha slang term of 2025. Meaning nothing in particular, and sometimes repeated in a sing-song voice, it tended to delight kids and frustrate almost everyone else (which is one reason it delighted kids).
Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg – Encountered, for those who dared, in advanced modes of a hit spelling game on Roblox.

“In a world full of clutter and noise,” says Barlow, “it’s gratifying that people keep turning to our dictionary for accurate information, carefully researched and crafted by humans – the exact opposite of slop.”

Get more detail on all the 2025 Words of the Year

About Merriam-Webster Inc.
For over 180 years, Merriam-Webster has been America’s leading provider of language information. Each month, our award-winning websites, apps, and social media channels offer guidance to tens of millions of visitors. In print, our publications include Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate® Dictionary (among the best-selling books in American history) and books for students of all ages and abilities. All Merriam-Webster products and services are backed by the largest team of dictionary editors and writers in America.

For more information, visit Merriam-Webster.com, and follow @MerriamWebster on X, Facebook, and Instagram.

Attachment

Merriam-Webster's 2025 Word of the Year

Meghan Lunghi
Merriam-Webster Inc.
mlunghi@m-w.com

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.