Merriam-Webster’s 2024 word of the year is “polarization” which was heard around the world during this year’s heated election season. Polarization was joined by other popular searched words that competed for word of the year,

The famous American dictionary publisher on Monday announced that “polarization”—defined as “division into two sharply distinct opposites; especially, a state in which the opinions, beliefs, or interests of a group or society no longer range along a continuum but become concentrated at opposing extremes”—is its Word of the Year for 2024.

With less than a month left until January, Merriam-Webster has chosen its 2024 Word of the Year, one that has often defined the political landscape of the United States and its candidates. The word, the book company reported,