Merriam-Webster chooses its words of the year based on the number of dictionary lookups. The 2022 winner, gaslighting, saw a 1740% increase, “with high interest throughout the year.” Runners-up include omicron, oligarch, and queen consort.
Gaslight (1944): “Strange drama of a captive sweetheart!”
And bear in mind Benjamin Dreyer’s sage counsel:
If we’re talking about fucking with someone’s sanity, it’s gaslighted. If we’re talking about a Victorian theater, it’s gaslit.
— Benjamin Dreyer (@BCDreyer) May 26, 2019
*