Merriam Webster Dictionary has chosen their word of the year and the winner is “GASLIGHTING”. The dictionary defines “gaslighting” as “the act or practice of grossly misleading someone, especially for one’s own advantage”. They say there was nearly an 1,800% increase in lookups for the word this past year.
Gaslighting is a word that has taken on renewed interest in the digital age. Various types of “gaslighting can be seen on social media, dating websites, apps and the dark web. Merriam-Webster notes that it’s different from a lie for fraud. Unlike lying, which tends to be between individuals and fraud, which tends to involve organizations, “gaslighting” applies in both personal and political contexts. The word dates back to a 1938 play based on a man attempting to make his wife believe she is going insane.
