'Post-truth' named 2016 word of the year by Oxford Dictionaries

The dictionary defines “post-truth” as “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public ... AccessibilitystatementSkiptomaincontentSearchInputSearchSectionsSectionsTheWashingtonPostDemocracyDiesinDarknessSigninProfileSolidSigninProfileSolidTheWashingtonPostDemocracyDiesinDarkness(PaulJ.Richards/AFP/GettyImages)ByAmyBWangNovember16,2016ByAmyBWangNovember16,2016It'sofficial:Truthisdead. Factsare passe.Andthissentiment— 😂—issolastyear.2021Election:CompletecoverageandanalysisArrowRightOxfordDictionarieshasselected“post-truth”as2016'sinternationalwordoftheyear,afterthecontentious“Brexit”referendumandanequallydivisiveU.S.presidentialelectioncausedusageoftheadjectivetoskyrocket,accordingtotheOxfordUniversityPress.Thedictionarydefines“post-truth”as“relatingtoordenotingcircumstancesinwhichobjectivefactsarelessinfluentialinshapingpublicopinionthanappealstoemotionandpersonalbelief.”Inthiscase,the“post-”prefixdoesn'tmean“after”somuchasitimpliesanatmosphereinwhichanotion isirrelevant —butthenagain,whosaysyouhavetotakeourwordforitanymore?StorycontinuesbelowadvertisementThroughoutagruelingpresidentialcampaigninwhichaccusationsofliesandalternaterealitiesflowedfreely,ineverydirection,hundredsoffactcheckswerepublishedaboutstatementsfrombothDonaldTrumpandHillaryClinton.AdvertisementDozensofmediaoutletsfoundthatTrump'srelationshipwiththetruthwas,well,complicated.“Weconcedeallpoliticianslie,”conservativecolumnistJenniferRubinwroteinSeptember.“Nevertheless,DonaldTrumpisinaclassbyhimself.”HowtheheckcanvotersthinkDonaldTrumpismorehonestthanHillaryClinton?ShecitedTheAtlantic'sDavidFrum,whodescribedTrump'sdishonestyinMayas“qualitativelydifferentthananythingbeforeseenfromamajor-partynominee.”Noneofthisseemedtomattersignificantlytothosewhosupportedhim.Storycontinuesbelowadvertisement“Thereisnodoubtthateveninthequadrennialtruth-stretchingthathappensinpresidentialcampaigns,Trumphassetrecordsforfabrication,”ChrisCillizzawrotedaysbeforetheelection.Andyet,Cillizzanoted,TrumpwasseenasmorehonestthanClintonbyaneight-pointmargin,accordingtoaWashingtonPost-ABCNewstrackingpoll releasedonNov.2.Advertisement“Post-truth”wasselectedafterOxford'sdictionaryeditorsnotedaroughly2,000percentincreaseinitsusageover2015—itwasappearingwithfarmorefrequencyinnewsarticlesandonsocialmediainboththeUnitedKingdomandtheUnitedStates.ThefirstspikecameinJune,drivenbythe rhetoricleadinguptoBritain's EuropeanUnionreferendum, OxfordDictionariesPresidentCasperGrathwohlsaidinastatement.Storycontinuesbelowadvertisement“Post-truth”usagespikedagaininJulyafterTrumpsecuredthe Republicanpresidentialnomination.“It’snotsurprisingthatourchoicereflectsayeardominatedbyhighly-chargedpoliticalandsocialdiscourse,”Grathwohlsaid.“Fueledbytheriseofsocialmediaasanewssourceandagrowingdistrustoffactsofferedupbytheestablishment,post-truthasaconcepthasbeenfindingitslinguisticfootingforsometime.”Thisisarealnewsstoryaboutfakenewsstories“Post-truth”wasselectedasthe2016wordoftheyearevenbeforeresultsoftheelectionwereknown, saidKatherineMartin,theheadofU.S.dictionariesforOxfordUniversityPress.Advertisement“Wechoosewordsthataregoingtohighlighttheinterplaybetweenourwordsandourculture,”Martinsaid.Thefinalwordoftheyearismeanttobeonethatcapturesthe“ethos,moodorpreoccupationsofthatparticularyearandtohavelastingpotentialasawordofculturalsignificance.”StorycontinuesbelowadvertisementTheWashingtonPost'sownFactCheckerblog,whichpublished314factchecksofthecandidateswhoranforpresidentduringthe2016electioncycle,hasnotedthat“inmanyways,itwasanunbalancedrace”—butdidn'tgosofarastoendorsetheterm“post-truth.”“Ihaveneverbeenafanoftheword'post-truth,'sinceit’safacilewaytodescribebasichumanbehaviorsincethefirstwordswerespoken,”TheFactChecker'sGlennKesslersaidinanemail.“Peoplehavealwaysbeenswayedbyemotionsandpersonalbeliefs.Asfactcheckers,wegivepeoplethefactualinformationandcontextforstatementsmadebypoliticians.Whatpeopledowiththosefactsisuptothem.”TheWashingtonPost's2016ElectionFactCheckerTheFactChecker'sMichelleYeHeeLeenotedthatoftheblog's314factchecksforthiselection,168wereaboutclaimsmadebyTrumpandDemocraticcandidateHillaryClinton.Andof those, Trumpreceived59“Four-Pinocchio”ratings,whileClintongotseven.AdvertisementStorycontinuesbelowadvertisementTrump'saveragePinocchioratingwas3.4, breakingRep.MicheleBachmann'spreviousworstPinocchioaverageof3.08in2012.Clinton,ontheotherhand,endedupwithanaveragePinocchioratingof2.2,puttingherinthesamerangeasPresidentObamaandformerMassachusettsgovernorMittRomney,shesaid.Andwhatdidpeopledowiththesefacts?TheyelectedTrumpthe45thpresidentoftheUnitedStates.Forwhatit'sworth,“post-truth”isnottobeconfusedwith“truthiness,”asubtlydifferenttermpopularizedbyStephenColbertmorethanadecadeago thatdescribedthephenomenonof“believingsomethingthatfeelstrue,evenifitisn'tsupportedbyfact.”Storycontinuesbelowadvertisement“NowI'msuresomeofthewordpolice,the'wordinistas'overatWebster's,aregonnatosay,hey,that'snotaword,”saidColbertinthe2005segmentthatintroducedtheword.“Well,anybodywhoknowsmeknowthatI'mnofanofdictionariesorreferencebooks.They'reelitist!Constantlytellinguswhatisorisn'ttrue.orwhatdidordidn'thappen.”AdvertisementAtthetime,Colbertwasstillplayinganexaggeratedcaricatureofaconservativepolitical-showhost.“Who'sBritannicatotellmethePanamaCanalwasfinishedin1914?!"hecontinuedinthesegment.“IfIwanttosayithappenedin1941,that'smyright.Idon'ttrustbooks.They'reallfact,noheart.”StorycontinuesbelowadvertisementMerriam-Webstermade“truthiness”its2006wordoftheyear.Andifanything,theriseoftruthinessclearedthepathfor“post-truth,”asin:“Inapost-truthworld,truthinessisallthatmatters.”“Giventhatusageofthetermhasn’tshownanysignsofslowingdown,Iwouldn’tbesurprisedifpost-truthbecomesoneofthedefiningwordsofourtime,”saidGrathwohl,theOxfordDictionariespresident.Eachyear,theOxfordstaffselectshundredsofwords,thennarrowsthatlistdownthroughdiscussionsabout“whatwordsaregoingtobesthighlightthewaysinwhichtheEnglishlexiconischanginginresponsetocurrentevents,”saidMartin,Oxford'sheadofU.S.dictionaries.AdvertisementStorycontinuesbelowadvertisementThisyear,theshortlistincluded“adulting”(oftenpackagedintothephrase“adultingsohard,”asin,“I'madultingsohardthatIboughtaleafblowerandincreasedmycontributiontomy401(k)retirementsavingsplan”)and hygge,whichreferstoa“comfortableconvivialityandfeelingofcontentment”centraltoDanishculture.“Post-truth”alsobeatoutfinalist“alt-right,”ashorteningof“alternativeright”definedbyOxfordas“anideologicalgroupingassociatedwithextremeconservativeorreactionaryviewpoints,characterizedbyarejectionofmainstreampoliticsandbytheuseofonlinemediatodisseminatedeliberatelycontroversialcontent.”Useof“alt-right”in2016hasincreaseddramaticallyaswell,inlargepartbecauseofTrump'stiestoprominentalt-rightfiguressuchasSteveBannon,theformerheadofBreitbartNewswhowasjustnamedTrump'schiefWhiteHousestrategist.AdvertisementThisyear'sdiscussion“wasabitmoreseriousandsomber…thanithasbeeninsomeotheryears,”Martinsaid.Forthosewhohaveforgotten,theOxfordDictionaries'2015wordoftheyearwas,forthefirsttimeever,anemoji —specifically,thisone:😂TheOxfordDictionariesusuallyannouncesthewordoftheyearinmid-November.ButMartinnotedtherewasstilltimeforthemoodtoshiftduringtheendoftheyear.“Whoknowswhatwillhappeninthelast[weeks]of2016?”shesaid.“Hopefullysomethingreallywonderfulthatgivesusanotheridea.”Readmore:Whywordslike‘squee,’‘moobs’and‘YOLO’reallyendupintheOxfordEnglishDictionaryistheInternethurtingproperenglish?LOL,noForthethirdyearinarow,ScrippsNationalSpellingBeeendsinatieGiftOutlineGiftArticleLoading...Today’sHeadlinesThemostimportantnewsstoriesoftheday,curatedbyPosteditorsanddeliveredeverymorning.EmailaddressBysigningupyouagreetoourTermsofUseandPrivacy Policy