Merriam-Webster Names 'Slop' Word of Year
Analysis based on 8 articles · First reported Dec 15, 2025 · Last updated Dec 16, 2025
This event has minimal direct market impact as it primarily concerns cultural commentary on language and technology. While it highlights the prevalence of AI-generated content, it does not directly affect the financial performance of Artificial intelligence companies or the publishing industry.
Merriam-Webster, the leading American dictionary publisher, selected 'slop' as its 2025 Word of the Year. The term is defined as 'digital content of low quality that is produced usually in quantity by means of artificial intelligence'. This choice reflects the widespread impact of AI-generated content, including absurd videos, fake news, and AI-written books, which have become prevalent in media and everyday discussions. Merriam-Webster's editors noted that the word 'slop' conveys a mocking tone towards AI's ability to replace human creativity. Other words highlighted by Merriam-Webster's search data included 'gerrymander', 'touch grass', 'performative', 'tariff', 'six seven', and 'conclave'. Competitors like University of Oxford chose 'rage bait' as their word of the year, while The Economist also selected 'slop'.
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