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"They" Is Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year, So Stop Being a Dick About It

This is a big deal for recognizing nonbinary folks.

Photo by: Lena Balk / Unsplash

"They" is Merriam-Webster's 2019 Word of the Year.

As a singular pronoun, "they" has exponentially risen in popularity over the last few years to refer to nonbinary people—folks who feel neither entirely male nor female. Other neutral pronouns like "ze" and "hir" can also be used, although "they/them" is most widely used among English-speaking communities.

Though so-called grammar purists have dismissed the use of the singular "they" on the basis of clarity, Merriam-Webster (as well as the Oxford English Dictionary) insists that it's totally OK. In September, Merriam-Webster officially added the singular "they," stating: "People have used singular 'they' to describe someone whose gender is unknown for a long time, but the nonbinary use of 'they' is relatively new."

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According to Merriam-Webster, lookups for "they" increased by 313 percent in 2019 over the last year. Sure, everyone knows what "they" means in a pretty simple sense, but we still use dictionaries to look up different usages of words and how definitions change over time. A few events in the news this year likely spurred the sharp increase in lookups: Singer Sam Smith and Atypical star Brigette Lundy-Paine both announced they were using they/them pronouns. The American Psychological Association recommended that "writers should use the singular 'they' in two main cases: (a) when referring to a generic person whose gender is unknown or irrelevant to the context and (b) when referring to a specific, known person who uses 'they' as their pronoun." During a House Judiciary meeting in April, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal stated that her child is gender-nonconforming and uses they/them pronouns.

While there's still plenty of work left to do in recognizing and accepting trans and nonbinary folks, "they" being the Word of the Year is a huge start. Though recognizing gender identity outside of the male-female binary might seem a little odd to some—and our current administration continues to pretend like transgender people don't exist—it's crucial that they/them pronouns become normalized, and it's possible to adapt. If "they" can be one of Merriam-Webster's most looked-up words of the past 12 months, it appears that, thankfully, more and more people are getting on board.

More Than 840 Words Added to Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Whether They Belong There or Not, Though, Is Your Opinion

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Language is always evolving — we find new slang words every day and sometimes it can be hard to keep up.

Luckily Merriam-Webster wants to make it easier for us to look up what some of these words mean — the dictionary just added 840 new words to their database.

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"Hangry," "TL;DR" and "bougie" have all made this list and until now, wouldn't have been considered reputable language. "Bougie" has been used numerous times in pop culture now and featured front and center in Migos' song "Bad and Boujee" — Merriam-Webster defines the word as "a disparaging substitute for bourgeois."

A bunch of other abbreviated and colloquial terms have been added as well — your SO probably thinks it's "adorbs" that you have a "fav marg" to order at happy hour. Speaking of food and drinks, maybe you'd like a "flight" of beer and a "mocktail" to have with your favorite "hophead" over a bowl of "zoodles."

The dictionary has also added more technological terms such as "haptics," which is the science of touch, "biohacking" and "fintech." Foreign words also include "iftar," a sundown meal to break Ramadan daily fasting, "mise en place," a word that refers to the positioning of ingredients before cooking in French and "gochujang," a Korean chili paste.

On a more serious note, the word "Latinx" has also been added to the dictionary — a more gender-neutral term than calling someone Latino or Latina. There's been some controversy against this term as many people don't see the need for a gender neutral term while others think it's time to update a gendered language.

"Generation Z" has also made the cut as it's the umbrella term for those born in the early 2000s or around that time. "Food bank," "tent city" and "self-harm" fall under the category of social issues and happenings.

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Whenever Merriam-Webster comes out with new words, there are always people that'll dismiss it as going too far or tainting something that's already been established. Many don't see the need to reinvent the wheel or are scared of change.

However you might feel, language and grammar are always changing and will always change — there's really nothing you can do about it. "Instagramming" and "bingeable" shows are a part of history now and history must be documented.

So, "TL;DR:" Get with the times.

Amber Wang is a freelancer for Popdust and various other sites. She is also a student at NYU, a photographer and intern at the Stonewall Inn National Monument.

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