Oxford Word of the Year 2017 – “youthquake”

The Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year 2017 is “youthquake”, defined as “a significant cultural, political, or social change arising from the actions or influence of young people”.

As Oxford's lexicographers say, there has been a fivefold increase in usage of “youthquake” in 2017 compared to 2016, and the recognition of the word means the acknowledgment of the power of the millennial generation.

Diana Vreeland, the editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine, coined the word nearly 50 years ago, and it has been used to describe phenomena and events such as the rising support to the British Labor Party among young voters and the formation of a new minority government in New Zealand.

Each year, the Oxford University Press monitors the changes in the English language and selects the word reflecting the dominant mood of the year.

Casper Grathwohl, the president of the Oxford Dictionaries said about “youthquake” that “it’s true that it has yet to land firmly on American soil, but strong evidence in the UK calls it out as a word on the move”.

– In “youthquake” we finally found some hope in the power to change things, and had a little bit of linguistic fun along the way – Susie Dent, a consultant to the Oxford Dictionaries, explains and adds that “it feels like the right note on which to end a difficult and divisive year”.

The Word of the Year 2016 was “post-truth”.

Oxford University Press

Oxford Word of the Year 2017

Word of the Year 2017

youthquake

Vogue

Diana Vreeland

Casper Grathwohl

Susie Dent

posttruth

post truth