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We’re not gaslighting you. “Gaslighting” is Merriam-Webster’s 2022 Word of the Year.
The word, which signals mind manipulating, grossly misleading, deceitful behavior, was looked up 1,740% more in 2022 than the previous year. Surges in searches were seen every single day of the year.
The term is often used by mental health professionals to describe prolonged coercive control in abusive relationships, according to the Associated Press. It’s place at the top of the list surprised some after it already drew significant interest in years passed.
Other top-searched words this year include oligarch, omicron, codify, raid, sentient, cancel culture and loamy.
– Staff report, Florida Politics, The Tampa Bay 100