In a year dominated by conversations about artificial intelligence, Merriam-Webster has declared “slop” as its 2025 Word of the Year, a term that perfectly encapsulates the growing debate around the flood of low-quality AI-generated content saturating digital spaces.
According to Merriam-Webster, slop refers to “digital content of low quality that is produced usually in quantity by means of artificial intelligence.” The dictionary’s editors say the choice reflects both a cultural mood and a linguistic moment, one where creativity, authenticity, and technology collided in unpredictable ways.
“All that stuff was dumped on our screens,” said Greg Barlow, president of Merriam-Webster, in a press release. “And the Word of the Year captured it in just four letters. The English language came through again.”
The term, with its gritty sound and visceral imagery, echoes other messy words like slime, sludge, and muck. But while it highlights AI’s flaws, it does so with a hint of humor rather than alarm. “It’s almost like the word sends a little message to AI,” added Peter Sokolowski, Merriam-Webster’s editor at large. “When it comes to replacing human creativity, sometimes you don’t seem too superintelligent.”
The announcement comes in a year when AI’s presence has grown even more pervasive. From workplace tools to entertainment, algorithms are shaping culture at unprecedented speed. Even TIME magazine acknowledged the trend by naming the “Architects of AI” as its anticipated 2025 Person of the Year.
Alongside slop, Merriam-Webster released its list of other frequently searched words that captured public attention in 2025:
- Gerrymander – Reflecting renewed political battles as redistricting controversies continued.
- Performative – Used to describe actions done merely for show or social approval.
- Touch grass – A popular internet phrase urging people to reconnect with the real world.
- Six seven (6 7) – A viral meme phrase linked to rapper Skrilla’s song and NBA player LaMelo Ball.
- Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg – A tongue-twisting lake name in Massachusetts that resurfaced thanks to online spelling games.
In choosing slop, Merriam-Webster captured more than a word it summed up the tension between creativity and automation, signaling a year when humans fought to keep their voices authentic in an increasingly artificial world.
