Merriam-Webster has crowned “slop” the 2025 word of the year, a decision that underscores how much low‑quality, AI‑generated content has flooded social media and the internet.
The Word and Its Roots
“Slop” was first used in the 1700s to describe soft mud, but it later evolved to mean something of little value. The definition has since expanded to mean “digital content of low quality that is produced usually in quantity by means of artificial intelligence.”
In an exclusive interview with the Associated Press ahead of the Monday announcement, Merriam-Webster’s president Greg Barlow said, “It’s such an illustrative word.” He added that the word is part of a transformative technology, AI, and that people find it fascinating, annoying, and a little bit ridiculous.
Barker also explained that the word evokes “unpleasant images of mud‑caked pigs crowding around a dirty trough, or perhaps a bucket of steaming, fetid stew.” He noted that AI amalgamations can produce algorithmic biases laden with offensive or nonsensical imagery.
Why “Slop” Resonates in an AI Age
Barker said, “In other words, ‘you know, absurd videos, weird advertising images, cheesy propaganda, fake news that looks real, junky AI‑written digital books.’” He further remarked, “They want things that are real, they want things that are genuine.”
The dictionary’s editors review data about which words have risen in search results and usage. They then reach a consensus on the word that best reflects the span of the year.
Barker told the AP, “We like to think that we are a mirror for people.” He explained that words such as “ubiquitous,” “paradigm,” “albeit,” and “irregardless” are always top lookups because they’re on the edge of our lexicon.
Political Misuse and Deepfake Concerns
AI video generators like Sora can quickly create realistic clips from text prompts. However, a flood of these images on social media—including clips depicting celebrities and deceased public figures—has raised worries about misinformation, deepfakes, and copyright.
Such content has existed online for years, but the tools are more accessible now and are used for political ends. Last month, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted a manipulated image of a beloved cartoon turtle from the Canadian animated show “Franklin,” reimagined as a grenade‑wielding fighter, to defend U.S. military actions in Venezuela.
The show “Franklin” teaches preschoolers about kindness, empathy, and inclusivity. In Hegseth’s hands, its six‑year‑old main character became a tool to promote violence.
The Dictionary’s Selection Process
Merriam-Webster has selected one word every year since 2003 to capture and make sense of the current moment. The 2024 word was “polarization,” chosen shortly after the U.S. presidential election amid a shifting national mood.
A fresh edition of the dictionary, released last month, adds over 5,000 new words—a rare step that involves fully revising and reimagining one of its most popular dictionaries.
Other 2025 Word Candidates
The dictionary’s editors also considered several other terms that saw a spike in searches over the summer:
- 6‑7 – An inside joke with an unclear meaning, driven by social media and traced back to rapper Skrilla’s 2024 song “Doot Doot (6 7).” Barker called it self‑referential and “all the rage, but it’s not a defining term.”
- Performative – Online shorthand for a disingenuous guy who pretends to like things women like to earn their trust. The word also describes surface‑level “kindness content” and grandstanding in national politics.
- Gerrymander – Refers to partisan map‑drawing in the U.S. President Donald Trump has urged maps to be redrawn before the 2026 midterm elections.
- Touch grass – Defined as “to participate in normal activities in the real world especially as opposed to online experiences and interactions.” It was a serious contender for word of the year.
- Conclave – The centuries‑old election of a pope. The term saw a huge spike in searches when Pope Leo XIV became history’s first American pope in May 2025.
- Tariffs – Originally from Italian and Arabic for “free of charge,” tariffs are a schedule of duties imposed by a government on imported or exported goods. They account for less than 4% of federal revenue.
- Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg – The name of a Massachusetts lake that appeared on the Top Lookups list. In New England, it is known as Webster Lake.
Looking Back: Past Word of the Year
Merriam-Webster’s list of words of the year over the past decade:
- 2024 – polarization
- 2023 – authentic
- 2022 – gaslighting
- 2021 – vaccine
- 2020 – pandemic
- 2019 – they
- 2018 – justice
- 2017 – feminism
- 2016 – surreal
- 2015 – ism
Key Takeaways
- Merriam-Webster’s 2025 word of the year is “slop,” spotlighting the rise of low‑quality AI‑generated content.
- AI video generators have amplified concerns about misinformation, deepfakes, and copyright.
- Political misuse of AI‑generated imagery, exemplified by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s Franklin turtle post, highlights the ethical challenges.
The decision to name “slop” the word of the year reflects a growing public awareness of the prevalence and impact of AI‑generated low‑quality content. It serves as a reminder that, despite the promise of transformative technology, the quality of what we consume online remains a critical issue for society.
