One of the runners up in the 2018 Merriam-Webster’s word of the year data analysis is “pansexual”. The term is defined as “characterized by sexual desire or attraction that is not limited to people of a particular gender identity or sexual orientation,”
Pansexual, as a term, gained a lot of popularity that can be attributed in part to Janelle Monáe, the singer and actress who said she identified as pansexual in an interview with Rolling Stone.
Related: Janelle Monáe came out, officially
Merriam-Webster’s word of the year was “justice”. The word saw a rise in searches on the dictionary’s website this year, which was looked up 74% more than last year, according to the publisher.
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Merriam-Webster is one of the main dictionaries to name a word of the year in recent weeks.
Last month, Oxford Dictionaries named their word of the year, “toxic”, which is frequently used to describe the current administration and masculinity.
Dictionary.com gave the title to “misinformation,” citing the rise of fake news, political ads and planted conspiracy theories.
