Oxford Dictionary names 'Youthquake' as word of the year 2017

Oxford Dictionaries has named 'youthquake' as 2017's word of the year. It also appears that hardly anyone has ever used that word.

The word was coined almost 50 years ago by the then-Vogue editor Diana Vreeland who used it to describe sudden changes in fashion, music and attitudes, reports the BBC.

It has been used to describe phenomena including surging youth support for Britain's Labour Party and the election of 30-something leaders in France and New Zealand.

This word of the year saw at least 40% curiosity among the public between 2016 and 2017.

Youthquake was chosen off a shortlist of 10 words that includes Antifa - a shortening of "anti-fascist" and kompromat - a word for compromising information gathered to be used in blackmail, typically for political purposes.

Here is the list:

Antifa noun: A political protest movement comprising autonomous groups affiliated by their militant opposition to fascism and other forms of extreme right-wing ideology

broflake noun, informal, derogatory: A man who is readily upset or offended by progressive attitudes that conflict with his more conventional or conservative views

gorpcore noun: A style of dress incorporating utilitarian clothing of a type worn for outdoor activities

kompromat noun: Compromising information collected for use in blackmailing, discrediting, or manipulating someone, typically for political purposes

Milkshake Duck noun: A person or thing that initially inspires delight on social media but is soon revealed to have a distasteful or repugnant past

newsjacking noun: The practice of taking advantage of current events or news stories in such a way as to promote or advertise one's product or brand

unicorn adjective [attributive]: Denoting something, especially an item of food or drink, that is dyed in rainbow colours, decorated with glitter, etc.

white fragility noun: Discomfort and defensiveness on the part of a white person when confronted by information about racial inequality and injustice

Meanwhile, US dictionary Merriam-Webster has named "feminism" the 2017 word of the year.

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