‘Youthquake’ named word of the year by Oxford Dictionaries
Oxford Dictionaries is recognizing the power of the millennial generation with its 2017 word of the year: youthquake.
Oxford lexicographers say there was a fivefold increase in use of the term between 2016 and 2017.
It is defined as “a significant cultural, political, or social change arising from the actions or influence of young people.”
The word, coined almost 50 years ago by then-Vogue editor Diana Vreeland, has been used to describe phenomena including surging youth support for Britain’s Labour Party and the election of 30-something leaders in France and New Zealand.
Oxford Dictionaries president Casper Grathwohl says the word has “yet to land firmly on American soil, but strong evidence in the U.K. calls it out as a word on the move.”
Runners-up announced Friday included broflake and kompromat.