Polarisation: Merriam-Webster’s word of year is 2024

Merriam-Webster’s 2024 Word of the Year is polarisation, which happens to be one idea that both sides of the political spectrum agree on. Search volume on Merriam-Webster.com throughout the year reflected the desire of Americans to better understand the complex state of affairs in the USA and around the world.

We define polarisation as “division into two sharply distinct opposites; especially, a state in which the opinions, beliefs, or interests of a group or society no longer range along a continuum but become concentrated at opposing extremes.”

The word was widely used across the media landscape. Fox News reported that “Vance’s debate answer on immigration crisis shows voter polarisation,” while MSNBC observed that, “The 2024 presidential election has left our country more polarised than ever.” The word was also used to describe divides beyond the U.S. election, as when Forbes warned that in workplaces, “cultural polarisation is becoming a pressing challenge.”

Polarisation, and the verb polarise, date back to the early 1800s, when they first described light waves. That physical meaning of polarise—“to cause to vibrate in a definite pattern”—led to the political and cultural meaning that helps define the world today.

The polar in polarisation is from Latin polaris, which describes the Earth’s poles. Polaris is also a name for the North Star.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary