Collins 2017 Word of the Year Shortlist

Fake news has been announced as the Collins Word of the Year 2017. Discover the rest of the words in this year’s shortlist.

Fake news

noun: false, often sensational, information disseminated under the guise of news reporting

Antifa

noun: (1) a antifascist organization (2) a member of a antifascist organization adjective: (3) involving, belonging to, or relating to a antifascist organisation

Corbynmania

noun: fervent enthusiasm for Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the UK Labour Party

Cuffing season

noun: the period of autumn and winter, when single people are considered likely to seek settled relationships rather than engage in casual affairs

Echo chamber

noun: an environment, especially on a social media site, in which any statement of opinion is likely to be greeted with approval because it will only be read or heard by people who hold similar views

Fidget spinner

noun: a small toy comprising two or three prongs arranged around a central bearing, designed to be spun by the fingers as means of improving concentration or relieving stress

Gender-fluid

adjective: not identifying exclusively with one gender rather than another

Gig economy

noun: an economy in which there are few permanent employees and most jobs are assigned to temporary or freelance workers

Insta

adjective: of or relating to the photo-sharing application Instagram

Unicorn

noun: (1) an imaginary creature depicted as a white horse with one long spiralled horn growing from its forehead, regarded as symbol of innocence and purity (2) a recently launched business enterprise that is valued at more than one billion dollars

Follow @CollinsDict for updates throughout the day and join the conversation using the hashtag #CollinsWOTY.

Other Articles

The Gentle Art of Persuasion: Soft Power in Language and Culture

In a period of global political and financial upheaval, as well as many armed conflicts, there has been much recent discussion about the place of ‘soft power’ in the world today. What is soft power? ‘Soft power’ denotes the ability to influence through attraction and persuasion rather than coercion or… Read More

Seven of the Most Beautiful Words in the Dictionary

It’s not every day that a world leader – in this case, US president Donald Trump – declares a somewhat functional word such as tariff the most beautiful word in the dictionary and, by implication, the English language. Admittedly, Trump later changed his mind by declaring God, religion and… Read More

The Fascinating Journey of the Word ‘Tariff’

Recent news headlines have been dominated by tariffs, and US president Donald Trump frequently refers to tariff as “the most beautiful word in the dictionary”. Have you ever wondered about the story behind the word? If we dig deeper, we find that this everyday economic term has a rich… Read More