Word of the year: 'unfriend'
November 19th, 2009 by CatWho would've thought that removing someone from your friend list on Facebook would become the New Oxford American Dictionary's 2009 Word of the Year?
Well, "unfriend" is. (Merriam-Webster's pick for word of the year was admonish, a verb dating back to the 14 century that means to express warning or disapproval, as made famous when the U.S. House admonished Rep. Joe Wilson for shouting "You lie!" at President Obama during a health care speech to Congress.)
"Unfriend" beat out a slew of mostly tech-related words such as:
• hashtag: the name for the symbol # that enables Twitter users to search for tweets
• intexticated: distracted because texting on a cell phone while driving a vehicle
• freeium: a business model in which some basic services are provided for free, with the aim of enticing users to pay for additional, premium features or content
• choice mom: a person who chooses to be a single mom
• deleb: a dead celebrity
• tramp stamp: a tattoo on the lower back, usually on a woman
It's interesting how our language evolves so quickly every year. I don't know if I would've used "unfriend" — or even "hashtag" or "tweet" — in everyday conservation, say, two years ago.
Got any words that you think should've been on that list?
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Tags: admonish, dictionary, Facebook, hawaii, Merriam-Webster, New Oxford American Dictionary, pop culture, social networking site, toth, unfriend, vernacular, vocabulary, word
November 19th, 2009 at 6:38 am
smore ... social media _hore
threedip ... retired military officers of flag (general officer rank) who: 1) take military pension, 2) take money from defense industry while and also 3) receive pay for being 'mentors' or 'advisors' to the miltary Crazy, isn't it?
November 19th, 2009 at 6:43 am
Good morning Cat!
No new words from me. Have a nice day!
November 19th, 2009 at 7:02 am
"Unfriend" is fashionable to be sure, but in terms of our everyday lives, I would say the word of the year for 2009 is "recession." I hope next year's word is "recovery."
For the local angle, I'd say the words of the year for 2009 are "Furlough Fridays" or as one of my friends puts it, the "f-words."
November 19th, 2009 at 7:25 am
I guess you could call it an "unsmart" word!!
November 19th, 2009 at 8:07 am
I heard on the radio yesterday that they were also throwing around "defriend." Somehow that doesn't sound right though. Does anyone here use defriend?
November 19th, 2009 at 9:15 am
Uh, Catalicious?
November 19th, 2009 at 11:30 am
Octomom
November 19th, 2009 at 12:12 pm
MUFI'D: to be charmed,bamboozled and left dazed,confused and holding a flaming musubi
November 19th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
I would post tense the word and say it is "unfriended". That has happened to me on Myspace and Facebook, so I think it actually is a legitimate term.
Funny, it was done by females that "friended" me out of the blue. We communicate for awhile, then I guess they figured I was boring, so....."unfriended" was the name of the game.
these social media sites get a little weird.
November 19th, 2009 at 3:09 pm
VIRAL: As in viral video, viral marketing, viral campaigning; anything but actual virus.
November 19th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
'tramp stamp' is still my favorite; esp. the one that says (in kanji) 'you must pay before entering.'
November 19th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
Do u happen to have the complete list of the previous winners? Surely "da bomb" ,it is what it is, that being said ...oh wait ,those are dumb phrases.Is there a dumb phrase catergory in this competition?
November 19th, 2009 at 9:43 pm
Further proof the English language is going to Hell in a hand basket!
November 20th, 2009 at 10:03 am
Hakamaki. Ewwwwww, som pilau.