Merriam-Webster names “gaslighting” Word of the Year

Merriam-Webster named a new word of the year for 2022 and that word is gaslighting.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO)— Merriam-Webster named a new word of the year for 2022 and that word is gaslighting.

According to the dictionary it’s defined as the “psychological manipulation of a person usually over an extended period of time that causes the victim to question the validity of their own thoughts, perception of reality, or memories.”

According to Merriam-Webster, searches for the word saw a 1,740% increase with high interest throughout the year compared to 2021.

“Pandemic” and “vaccine” were chosen as the words of the year in 2020 and 2021 respectively.