Who knew dictionaries would become the very definition of "cool" in 2017? Merriam-Webster long ago solidified its stance as the socially progressive, passive-aggressive hero of the word-based resistance, and now Dictionary.com has joined the ranks with its truly incredible selection for its Word of the Year.
Let's be honest, dictionaries were always the best. It's just now, when words are mattering simultaneously more and less than ever, that everyone is beginning to realize just how significant (and badass) dictionaries are.
We all know that Ivanka Trump has struggled with her words.
via: Getty Images
And it's not surprising considering who her father is. While Donald Trump has claimed to have "the best words," he most certainly does not. And neither does his eldest daughter.In fact, Ivanka Trump has such trouble with the English language that writer Eve Peyser wrote a whole Twitter thread on the subject.
a running list of words Ivanka Trump doesn't know how to use: relative, albeit https://t.co/IHg2xFcI1E— eve peyser (@eve peyser)1508856348.0
She doesn't know the meaning of the word "birthday," to start.
throwback to when Ivanka didn't know how to correctly use "happy birthday" https://t.co/rnf2xzDpr1— eve peyser (@eve peyser)1508871261.0
Ah, good ol' "complicit."
She also doesn’t know what “complicit” means https://t.co/eR8NxONTmB— eve peyser (@eve peyser)1508857318.0
Ivanka became almost synonymous with the word "complicit" after that — she even inspired one of Saturday Night Live's best sketches of the year.
@ExGOPer @TheRickWilson Goes well with the SNL parody fragrance — Complicit by Ivanka. https://t.co/nsYQF4cdK5— Lori Wagner (@Lori Wagner)1511637738.0
Back in the day, following that fateful interview, Merriam-Webster kindly defined the word "complicit" for Ivanka, who clearly didn't understand what it meant.
📈'Complicit' is trending after Ivanka Trump told CBS "I don’t know what it means to be complicit." https://t.co/qE6UcB8pUz— Merriam-Webster (@Merriam-Webster)1491342476.0
That's why Dictionary.com decided to name "complicit" its Word of the Year for 2017!
We're so excited to announce that the Word of the Year is covfefe! JUST KIDDING! But it is complicit.… https://t.co/Yntz9zjRgH— Dictionary.com (@Dictionary.com)1511792737.0
And Twitter loved it. Some even had suggestions for what could be runner-up...
Dotard, if you don't remember, is the insult North Korean leader Kim Jung Un hurled at Trump. It's a real word that means "a person in his or her dotage (a state or period of senile decay marked by decline of mental poise and alertness)." Ouch.Most on Twitter just sat back and applauded the efforts of Dictionary.com.
@Dictionarycom 🤓Y’all are #wildAF . 🤣 https://t.co/CXf5zaowla— Amber Coleman-Mortley (@Amber Coleman-Mortley)1511795849.0