'Post-truth' chosen as word of year

"Post-truth" has been chosen as the word of the year by Oxford dictionary editors.

Oxford dictionary editors have chosen their word of the year: "post-truth," a term sometimes used to describe the current political climate.

Oxford Dictionaries said on Wednesday that use of the term rose 2,000 per cent between 2015 and 2016, often in discussions of Britain's decision to leave the European Union and the campaign of US President-elect Donald Trump.

It's often used in the phrase "post-truth politics" and is defined as belonging to a time in which truth has become irrelevant.

Each year, Oxford University Press tracks how the English language is changing and chooses a word that reflects the mood of the year.

Runners-up for 2016 include "Brexiteer," an advocate of the UK leaving the EU; the extreme conservative movement known as the "alt-right"; and "hygge," the Danish concept of domestic coziness.


Share

1 min read

Published

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world