Thursday, December 29, 2016

Words Count With Mama Zen


For my final Words Count post of 2016, it seems only fitting to feature the Oxford Dictionaries words of the year.  Are you ready?

The Oxford Dictionaries word of the year for 2016 is . . . (drum roll, please) . . .

Post-truth: an adjective relating to circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than emotional appeals.

But wait!  There's more!

The shortlist:


  • Adulting - The practice of behaving in a way characteristic of a responsible adult, especially the accomplishment of mundane but necessary tasks
  • Alt-right - An ideological grouping associated with extreme conservative or reactionary viewpoints, characterized by a rejection of mainstream politics and by the use of online media to disseminate deliberately controversial content
  • Brexiteer - A person who is in favour of the UK withdrawing from the European Union
  • Chatbot - A computer program designed to simulate conversation with human users, especially over the internet
  • Coulrophobia - Extreme or irrational fear of clowns
  • Glass cliff - Used with reference to a situation in which a woman or member of a minority group ascends to a leadership position in challenging circumstances where the risk of failure is high
  • Hygge - A quality of cosiness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being, regarded as a defining characteristic of Danish culture
  • Latinx - A person of Latin American origin or descent, used as a gender-neutral or non-binary alternative to Latino or Latina
    • Woke - Originally in African-American usage meaning alert to injustice in society, especially racism

    Hell of a year, huh?  Let's close it out with a poem (how about 70 words or less) using at least one of the words of the year.  Have fun!  After all, it's almost over!


    11 comments:

    Kerry O'Connor said...

    Thanks for ushering us to the end of 2016, MZ.

    Magaly Guerrero said...

    I've never been able to say the word "adulting" without giggling.

    Sherry Blue Sky said...

    Thanks for the opportunity to release some angst and disgust once again. LOL.

    Sanaa Rizvi said...

    I can't believe the year is almost over! Thanks for the prompt, MZ ❤️

    Ornery Owl of Naughty Netherworld Press and Readers Roost said...

    There are more than 70 words in my poem, but I didn't feel it would be as effective if I "trimmed the fat," so to speak. Please kill my link if the verbosity or the swearing is a problem.

    http://poetryofthenetherworld.blogspot.com/2016/12/fear.html

    brudberg said...

    These words make me feel a little bit sad... I will do my best though

    Marian said...

    That word bubble is weird... why is Massachusetts so prominent?
    These words make me sad too, to tell the truth. To tell the post-truth?
    Thank you, MZ. Happy new year! xoxo

    grapeling said...

    15 hour days right now but will be around later... thanks, MZ

    Margaret said...

    Christmas was a mad (but happy) crazy time around my house... just getting my breath back. I am off to NYC for a week ... and probably won't be writing much but I will try to read, visit, & comment! Happy New Year!

    hyperCRYPTICal said...

    Cheers Mama Zen for a most excellent prompt - a prompt that roused me from my lethargy.

    Kind regards and hope the New Year brings happiness!
    Anna :o]

    Angie said...

    I love me some 'adulting' (and apparently Gone With the Wind!)