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The Word of the Year category is…

The Macquarie Dictionary Word of the Year has a shortlist consisting of one word from each of our fifteen (sixteen including COVID-19) categories. While the titles are sometimes self-explanatory, our editors have expanded on the category titles to give us a better understanding of what each group encapsulates.

  • Agriculture – related to farming practices, equipment and produce.
  • Arts – including literature, film, fine arts and music.
  • Business – associated with finance and corporations.
  • Colloquial – informal and slang language.
  • Communication – how we talk, write and interact with each other.
  • COVID-19 – related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Eating and drinking – food, beverages and cooking.
  • Environment –  the natural world, and our effect on it.
  • Fashion – clothing, accessories and trends.
  • General interest – everything else!
  • Health – medical, psychological and well-being.
  • Internet – online terminology.
  • Politics – government and elections.
  • Social interest – human interactions, families and relationships.
  • Sport – exercise, physical and mental competitions.
  • Technology – computers, robotics and machinery.

As you can see, this has covered a vast amount of ground for human society, and even has the very handy “General interest” category to pull in anything that doesn’t quite fit.

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