Brexit, Covid, war, climate disasters, a tanking economy, political instability, global insecurity, a sense of impending doom. There’s a single word for this, and it has just become Collins Dictionary’s word of the year: permacrisis.
The word is defined as “an extended period of instability and insecurity”, which some may argue is an accurate summary of the past few years. Collins said it chose the word as it “sums up quite succinctly how truly awful 2022 has been for so many people.”
Permacrisis tops a list of 10 words, six of them new entries in the dictionary, which represent 2022, Collins said. The others are:
- Partygate: reflecting the scandal of social gatherings at Downing Street during the pandemic.
- Kyiv: the Ukrainian spelling of its country’s capital, formerly usually referred to in Western press by the Russian spelling.
- Warm bank: a public space open during cold times to provide shelter for those struggling to heat their homes.
- Quiet quitting: completing basic work responsibilities and nothing more.
- Carolean: the era of King Charles
- Splooting: animals lying flat on their stomachs to counter high temperatures.
- Sportswashing: the practice of organizations or countries using sports to enhance their reputations or distract from unacceptable policies.
