Merriam-Webster names “Slop” its 2025 Word of the Year alongside “Touch Grass” and “Six Seven”

Merriam-Webster has revealed “Slop” as its Word of the Year for 2025, highlighting a term that surged in lookups and usage across online spaces over the past year.

The dictionary publisher announced the selection on December 14, saying “slop” stood out for how frequently it appeared in discussions around digital culture, media quality, and internet discourse throughout 2025.

According to Merriam-Webster, interest in “slop” rose sharply as the word became a common shorthand for low-quality or mass-produced content, particularly in conversations tied to social platforms, AI-generated media, and viral trends.

The term’s growing usage pushed it to the top of Merriam-Webster’s annual list, which is based on spikes in dictionary searches rather than overall frequency. The company said its Word of the Year reflects what people were curious about and looking up, rather than editorial preference.

Honorable mentions include “Touch Grass” and “Six Seven”

Alongside “slop,” Merriam-Webster also highlighted several honorable mentions that defined online conversation in 2025.

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Among them was “touch grass,” a phrase commonly used online to tell someone to step away from the internet, as well as “six seven,” a viral expression that gained traction through memes and short-form video platforms.

This comes just weeks after other words were given the elusive title. Dictionary.com chose 67, while Oxford University Press decided to go with Rage Bait, Cambridge chose Parasocial, and Collins’ Dictionary chose ‘Vibe Coding.’