Merriam-Webster Asks What Words Should Be Used More In 2024

Since 2024 is a new year, maybe people should use new words ― or at least different ones.

That was the thought behind a post Monday from Merriam-Webster on social media asking its followers what words they would like to use more often this year.

This comes a few weeks after the dictionary publisher declared “authentic” as its 2023 word of the year.

Merriam-Webster offered a suggestion and said it wanted to “really lean into ‘edifice’” in the coming year.

What is a word you would like to use more often in 2024?

We might try to really lean into ‘edifice.’
— Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) January 1, 2024

Many people offered suggestions, and many of the responses were unspeakably clever.

Guilty. I'd like to hear "guilty" a lot this year.
— Mueller, She Wrote (@MuellerSheWrote) January 1, 2024

I don’t have an edifice complex, although I wouldn’t mind hearing “penitentiary”. Also “guilty” and “remand” would be right up there.
— Karen Leavitt 🌻 🇺🇦 🇮🇱 (@kleavitt) January 1, 2024

Eclipse (in honor of the April 8 event)
Instead of something trumped something else
Say something eclipsed something else
— Pete Finnegan (@Pete_Finnegan) January 1, 2024

Two words really: disposable income. https://t.co/lquYhLAh3O
— Jaqi Nightshade “official” 🎄☃️🎁 (@melmus99) January 1, 2024

Fugly!!! https://t.co/yQbXhgSeRT
— Fiona_No_ID_Lady 🌻🇺🇦🌈🏳️⚧️🟦 (@No_ID_Lady) January 1, 2024

I’ve always loved ‘unfathomable’. I think I’ll start using it a lot more. https://t.co/cDfKwVPLbb
— Astrojoc (@astrojoc) January 1, 2024

Forever and always: Each resolution in this regard is the same: Kerfuffle.
— Eric Owens (@ericowensdc) January 1, 2024

Naysayers
— DuffJuice (@DuffJuice30) January 1, 2024

Perfunctory. It’s a real killjoy to work with people day in day out who treat their duties with very little purposeful interest.
— ᴀᴍʙɪᴋᴀ ᴊᴏɪꜱ 🦉 (@ambikajois) January 1, 2024

Tergiversation.

Tergiversation = the act of making statements that deliberately hide the truth or that avoid answering a question directly.
OR
the act of removing your support from one person, group, or religion and beginning to support another.
— Guyro Gearloose (@Guyro_Gearloose) January 1, 2024

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