2025 Word of the Year: Slop (merriam-webster.com)

I'd like to see an examination of how the phrase 'human slop' rose and fell in this year. Initially emerging as a counterpoint, it's now receded.

I've noticed amoung colleagues who are not fond of ai usage they love to call out "slop". If a line of code is too verbose or too succinct it must be ai. If a routine doesn't use the function they created when it's something tangentially related it must be ai slop. It's like the new form of gatekeeping.

This one is an apt pick. I only worry it’s early and the true wave of slop is not yet upon us.

Some other WOTY selections:

Oxford 'rage bait' https://corp.oup.com/news/the-oxford-word-of-the-year-2025-i...

Collins 'vibe coding' https://blog.collinsdictionary.com/language-lovers/collins-w...

Cambridge 'parasocial' https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2025/11/18/cambridge-di...

Dictionary.com '67' https://www.dictionary.com/e/word-of-the-year-2025/

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I was thinking "upended," but "slop" is also a fine choice.