Word of the year 2026 is named — after massive boom in popularity

Word of the year 2026 is named — after massive boom in popularity 'Maxxing' has been named word of the year for 2026 by one of the internet's most visited dictionary websites after use of the youth slang term soared by over 1,000% One of the world's most visited dictionary websites has named 'maxxing' as the word of the year. The internet slang phrase — which means to do more of something — emerged as Dictionary.com's top word for 2026 after being chosen by lexicographers. It is typically used as a suffix — such as in 'tokenmaxxing', which involves using AI to make workplace tasks easier, the more self-explanatory 'sleepmaxxing', and 'cosymaxxing', making your home a more relaxing environment. The term has also been linked to more harmful trends, such as 'looksmaxxing', in which young men carry out extreme DIY cosmetic procedures in a bid to enhance their physical appearance. Dictionary.com bosses said 'maxxing' was chosen because of its boom in popularity — with web searches and overall usage for the term increasing by 1,000% this year — as well as its versatility, having been widely used for a variety of contexts. Steve Johnson, the director of lexicography for Dictionary Media Group, told US media: "Maxxing really stood out this year because not only was it everywhere, in all types of articles, but it crossed a lot of different domains." Other terms on the websites Word of the Year Shortlist included 'affordability', reflecting pressures on consumers across the world, and 'data centre', the fiercely-debated facilities used for AI servers. Another word on the runners-up list was 'unc', a slang term with origins in African American vernacular used to described someone as old, or out-of-touch. Previous winners of Word of the Year Last year's Dictionary.com word of the year was in fact a number - '67', the viral dance trend which spread across the world after becoming popular among US sports fans. Here are the winning words of the last 10 years: - 2026: Maxxing - Doing more of an activity, or pursuing it to the fullest. - 2025: 67 - A dance trend that became a more general exclamation or 'meme'. - 2024: Demure - A much older term meaning a modest, mindful approach, which briefly became popular among TikTok lifestyle influencers. - 2023: Hallucinate - Tech phrase used to describe incidents when AI systems confidently produce false or misleading information. - 2022: Woman - Chosen after the death of Queen Elizabeth II and appointment of US Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. - 2021: Allyship - Someone aligning themselves to a social justice cause. - 2020: Pandemic - An obvious choice given the outbreak the Covid-19 that year. - 2019: Existential - Reflected growing anxieties over climate change, politics, and technology. - 2018: Misinformation - False information which misleads large number of people, whether deliberately or not. - 2017: Complicit - Chosen during the opening months of Donald Trump's first term. - 2016: Xenophobia - Reflecting the rise of right-wing populism across the Western world.