‘Youthquake’ is word of the year

“YOUTHQUAKE” has been named as Oxford Dictionaries’ Word of the Year, following in the footsteps of “omnishambles”, “post-truth” and “selfie” to have been awarded the accolade.

Defined as “a significant cultural, political, or social change arising from the actions or influence of young people”, the word saw a fivefold increase in usage between 2016-17, in part due to the general election and the reported increasing mobilisation of young voters.

The word itself is nearly 50 years old – having been coined by then Vogue editor Diana Vreeland to describe how youth culture was changing fashion and music – but has seen a resurrection in a more political context over the past 12 months.

Casper Grathwohl, president of Oxford Dictionaries, said: “‘Youthquake’ may not seem like the most obvious choice for Word of the Year, and it’s true that it’s yet to land firmly on American soil, but strong evidence in the UK calls it out as a word on the move.

“We chose ‘youthquake’ based on its evidence and linguistic interest. But most importantly for me, at a time when our language is reflecting our deepening unrest and exhausted nerves, it is a rare political word that sounds a hopeful note.

“Sometimes you pick a word as the Word of the Year because you recognise that it has arrived, but other times you pick one that is knocking at the door and you want to help usher it in.

“This past year calls for a word we can all rally behind.”