It’s been a year championed by same-sex marriage, Caitlyn Jenner, acceptance and equality – so it seems only fitting that the 2015 ‘word of the year’ is “identity”.
Released by Dictionary.com, the online tool analysed the top searches and newest terms being sought out online this year – and “identitiy” was the common theme searched amongst online users.
Speaking to Mashable, CEO of Dictionary.com Liz McMillan said:
“Our data indicated a growing interest in words related to identity, as people encountered new terms throughout the year based on events tied to gender, sexuality, race, and other key issues.
“Many words surrounding these topics trended or were newly added to our dictionary this year, making identity the clear front-runner as the Word of the Year.”
Dictionary.com reported a surge in searches for words like transgender, cisgender, omnisexual and asexual.
This year also saw the introduction of a gender-fluid prefix Mx – a neutral title to replace Ms or Mr.
Other additions to the online dictionary also included code-switching – “to modify one’s behaviour or appearance to adapt to different norms” and gender expression – “the expression of gender roles, often through behaviour and dress”.