‘Gaslighting’ is Merriam-Webster’s 2022 Word of the Year

Cover.Metalnation.org November 29, 2022 By Ramya Learn more

Why is Gaslighting the word of the year?

[{"selector":"#anim-91dec085-e674-4b61-9535-4941da91ce17 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-31.26217521097493%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":5000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] Cover.Metalnation.org American dictionary calls term 'a word for our time' in an age of fake news, misinformation and conspiracy theories. Gaslighting – a word that describes behaviour that manipulates the mind, is misleading and downright deceitful – is the Merriam-Webster dictionary's word of the year.

How does Merriam-Webster Choose the word of the year?

[{"selector":"#anim-cdc70e09-ffa6-46aa-a9c0-681b73fa8ef5 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-28.90624987200394%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":5000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] Cover.Metalnation.org Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year is determined by data : the word must have been a top lookup at Merriam-Webster.com in the past twelve months, and it must have seen a significant increase in lookups over the previous year.

Why the term gaslighting is overused?

[{"selector":"#anim-95694cec-e928-4461-96b7-e31cf1d38d1f [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-26.56249985778215%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":5000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] Cover.Metalnation.org One of the main reasons I think the term gaslighting is overused is that it seems to be used often in a very broad sense to mean invalidating people's experiences of reality .

[{"selector":"#anim-587748c8-c91e-4d50-ae0a-90ba60ed9236 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-34.179687404002955%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":5000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] Cover.Metalnation.org What is the root cause of gaslighting? “There are two main reasons why a gaslighter behaves as they do,” Sarkis explains. “It is either a planned effort to gain control and power over another person , or it because someone was raised by a parent or parents who were gaslighters, and they learned these behaviors as a survival mechanism.

What does gaslighting mean in 2022?

[{"selector":"#anim-9bd799b0-0616-4c55-ad43-f91eef619895 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-32.692307587285285%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":5000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] Cover.Metalnation.org Updated: 4:19 PM EST Nov 28, 2022. By LEANNE ITALIE Associated Press. "Gaslighting" — behavior that's mind manipulating, grossly misleading, downright deceitful — is Merriam-Webster's word of the year.Lookups for the word on merriam-webster.com increased 1,740% in 2022 over the year before.

Is gaslighting a new word?

[{"selector":"#anim-d99cf4d0-fb82-42b9-bf85-0225a6fb1b32 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-28.90624987200394%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":5000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] Cover.Metalnation.org 1 The term "gaslighting" encapsulates some of the other common terms we associate with misinformation -- "deepfakes" and "fake news" among them, per Merriam-Webster. We owe the term "gaslighting" to the 1938 play and 1944 film "Gaslight" (itself a remake of a film from 1940) .

What does the term gaslighting mean today?

[{"selector":"#anim-3b32c4f2-4a46-4d7b-b39a-6f43a5e4c65c [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-26.56249985778215%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":5000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] Cover.Metalnation.org 1 Gaslighting is a term used to describe the act of using psychological manipulation to get another person to question their own feelings, perception, or sanity.