The results are in!
We are delighted to announce the winning words of the Macquarie Dictionary Word of the Year 2014.
This year’s winner, as selected by the Word of the Year Committee, is mansplain.
The People’s Choice Award goes to share plate.
The Committee’s Choice for 2014 goes to:
mansplain
verb (t) Colloquial (humorous) (of a man) to explain (something) to a woman, in a way that is patronising because it assumes that a woman will be ignorant of the subject matter.
[MAN + (EX)PLAIN with s inserted to create a pronunciation link with explain]
–mansplaining, noun
The Committee chose mansplain as the word of the year for 2014. They felt that it was a much needed word and it was a clever coinage which captured neatly the concept of the patronising explanation offered only too frequently by some men to women.
The Committee would like to give honourable mention to:
lifehacking
noun the application of strategies or shortcuts used to simplify or improve any aspect of one’s life.
[LIFE + HACKING2]
–lifehacker, noun
binge watching
noun the practice of viewing a favourite television series, seeing many episodes in one extended sitting.
Also, binge viewing.
bamboo ceiling
noun a barrier created by prejudice which hampers the progress of Asian Australians to positions of leadership in government and business institutions.
[modelled on GLASS CEILING]
The Commitee would also like to give a dishonourable mention to selfie stick for being inescapable.
The Macquarie Dictionary Word of the Year 2014 Committee comprises:
- Dr Michael Spence (Vice-Chancellor, University of Sydney)
- Professor Stephen Garton (Pro-Vice-Chancellor, University of Sydney)
- Anne Bell (Director of University Libraries, University of Sydney)
- Catriona Menzies-Pike (Arts Editor, The Conversation)
- John Birmingham (Journalist and author of the cult classic He Died with a Falafel in his Hand, and the award-winning history Leviathan, and After America)
- Susan Butler (The Editor, Macquarie Dictionary)
The People’s Choice for 2014 goes to:
share plate
noun a serving in a restaurant designed as multiple small portions so that several diners can share the same dish.
(artwork by Tania @thewriting)
The runners-up are lifehacking, binge watching and selfie stick.
Category winners:
| Agriculture | crash grazing |
| Arts | binge watching |
| Business | drip pricing |
| Colloquial | mansplain |
| Communications | emoji |
| Eating and Drinking | share plate |
| Environment | green electricity |
| Fashion | loom band |
| General Interest | decision fatigue |
| Health | ambulance ramping |
| Internet | typosquatting |
| Politics | defund |
| Social Interest | lifehacking |
| Sport | urban exploration |
| Technology | selfie stick |
Download the pdf below to view all the entries considered for Word of the Year 2014.
The media release is available for download on the News page.
