What Was Dictionary.com Word of the Year 2019
In 2019, Dictionary.com named existential as its Word of the Year, reflecting widespread concern over climate change, political instability, public health, and digital surveillance. The selection signaled a year marked by deep uncertainty and conversations about survival, continuity, and risk. By pairing existential with issues such as environmental threat and systemic stress, media and public discourse captured a shared sense of pivotal challenge. This profile explains how the word was chosen, its meanings, and why it remains relevant for describing enduring threats to society and the planet.
Meaning And Definition Of Existential
Core Definition
At its heart, existential pertains to existence: the conditions of being real, present, and significant for an individual or group. Philosophically, it references schools of thought that prioritize individual experience, freedom, and choice in an apparently indifferent universe.
Dictionary Definitions
- Pertaining to existence or the state of being.
- Philosophy relating to existentialism, emphasizing individual existence, freedom, and choice.
- Used in contexts denoting serious, often unavoidable concerns about survival or meaning.
Why It Was Chosen As Word Of The Year 20
Dictionary.com selects its Word of the Year based on year-long search trends, cultural resonance, and the word’s capacity to encapsulate dominant themes of a given year. In 2019, searchers showed unusually high interest in existential, driven by climate emergencies, debates over healthcare and economic security, and political uncertainty around the world. The rise of phrases like existential threat
in news headlines and policy discussions cemented the word’s role as a precise descriptor of the era’s anxieties. Dictionary.com’s data revealed sustained user engagement around this term, highlighting its importance in public dialogue.
How Existential Was Used In 2019
During 2019, existential commonly appeared in combinations such as existential threat
, existential crisis
, and existential risk
. It described not only planetary challenges like climate change but also personal dilemmas about purpose, career, and identity in an increasingly complex digital world. Media outlets used the term to frame coverage of biodiversity loss, public health concerns, and geopolitical tensions. Its versatility helped people express the gravity of situations where core systems or assumptions about the future were called into question.
Cultural Impact Of Existential In Public Discourse
The prominence of existential in 2019 reflected a broader cultural shift toward acknowledging large-scale, interlinked risks that require long-term thinking. Climate activism, policy debates on carbon emissions, and discussions about global health preparedness all invoked an existential
dimension to motivate action. Meanwhile, individuals used the word to articulate feelings about work, technology, and societal expectations. By naming these shared concerns, existential became a touchstone for conversations about resilience, adaptation, and responsibility.
Comparison With Recent Years’ Words
Choosing existential in 2019 distinguished the year from Dictionary.com’s selections in surrounding years, which highlighted different facets of modern life:
| Year | Word of the Year | Primary Cultural Focus |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | feminism | Gender equality movements |
| 2018 | toxic | Health, relationships, and environment |
| 2019 | existential | Survival, risk, and systemic threats |
| 2020 | pandemic | Global health crisis |
| 2021 | wanderlust | Travel and renewal post-pandemic |
How To Use Existential Correctly
- Use existential to describe serious threats or questions about continued existence, not minor inconveniences.
- Common collocations include
existential threat
,existential risk
, andexistential crisis
. - Reserve the term for situations where the stakes involve survival, meaning, or fundamental change.
- Avoid applying it to everyday stresses unless you truly mean they strike at the core of purpose or being.
FAQ
Reader questions
What does it mean when a word is Dictionary.com’s Word of the Year?
It reflects the word people searched for most throughout the year and that resonated broadly with cultural conversations. The selection is based on search volume, trend data, and the word’s capacity to frame a year’s defining issues.
Is existential always negative?
Not necessarily. While it often describes serious or daunting challenges, it can also refer to constructive reflection on meaning, freedom, and authentic living in philosophy and personal growth contexts.
How is existential different from similar words like crucial or vital?
Existential emphasizes existence itself and often implies a threat to continued being or essential systems, whereas crucial and vital highlight importance without necessarily invoking survival or deep uncertainty.
Can I use existential in formal writing?
Yes. In academic, scientific, and policy writing, existential is appropriate when describing threats or questions that fundamentally affect existence, such as existential risk in long-term future studies.
Did Dictionary.com track search spikes for other words in 2019?
Yes. Throughout the year, Dictionary.com monitored surges related to terms such as climate, data privacy, and public health, but existential best summarized the cumulative atmosphere of risk and uncertainty.