Merriam-Webster, the well-known American dictionary publisher, has announced its choice for the word of the year for 2025. The word they selected is “slop.” This choice reflects the increasing amount of low-quality digital content flooding our screens this year. Merriam-Webster explains that “slop” refers to digital material that is often produced in large quantities by artificial intelligence and is generally of poor quality.

The Meaning and Connotations of “Slop”

The dictionary describes “slop” as a term that evokes images of wet, unpleasant substances like slime, sludge, or muck. It’s a word that sounds messy and unappealing, something you’d rather avoid touching. Merriam-Webster notes that the word captures a sense of annoyance and disgust that many people have felt about the digital content they encountered in 2025.

The term has become a metaphor for the flood of content that’s often absurd, cheesy, or misleading. This includes bizarre videos, offbeat advertising images, fake news that looks surprisingly real, and poorly written AI-generated books. The term has gained popularity as a way to describe this overwhelming stream of low-quality material that dominates online spaces.

How “Slop” Reflects Views on AI and Digital Culture

According to Merriam-Webster, “slop” has also come to symbolize how society discusses the rise of artificial intelligence. Instead of focusing on apocalyptic fears, many now use “slop” to mock AI’s shortcomings. It’s a way of saying that while AI tries to replace human creativity, it often falls short and produces messy or inferior results.

The word also signals a shift in tone. Instead of alarm, there’s a sense of humor and irony. People seem to be more skeptical and less frightened, viewing AI-generated content as sloppy, silly, or just plain bad. This attitude reflects a larger conversation about the limits of AI and its role in our digital lives.

Overall, the choice of “slop” as the word of the year highlights how digital culture and AI influence our language. It captures a mood of frustration mixed with humor. As the year unfolds, “slop” will likely continue to be a useful term for describing the messy side of technological progress.

Inspired by

• https://www.computerworld.com/article/4107928/merriam-webster-names-slop-the-word-of-the-year-2025.html

Sources

• merriam-webster.com