The emergence of the term 'slop' marks a significant cultural moment as it has been chosen as Merriam-Webster’s word of the year for 2025. This term encapsulates the current digital landscape, saturated with low-quality, AI-generated content that many find fascinating yet frustrating.
Greg Barlow, president of Merriam-Webster, noted in an interview with the Associated Press that the word aptly reflects the transformation of digital content creation methods through artificial intelligence, bringing issues of quality and authenticity to the forefront of discourse.
Historically, 'slop' was used to describe soft mud, but it has come to signify poorly made digital artifacts resulting from hastily constructed AI processes—from absurd videos and quirky advertising images to misleading propaganda and fake news that eerily resembles reality.
This surge of low-quality content is not just an annoyance; it raises significant red flags around misinformation, copyright issues, and the erosion of credible information sources.
Citing examples from political arenas, Barlow remarked on the troubling rise of manipulated imagery used to serve specific narratives, adding to the urgency of fostering an informed audience.
The dictionary's choice of 'slop' as the word of the year signifies a desire among the public to seek out genuine content in an era of artistic impersonation and digital chaos. As misinformation becomes an omnipresent threat, the public’s appetite for authenticity grows stronger.
This year, Merriam-Webster’s annual analysis included a thorough review of trending words and their implications—affirming the dictionary's role in reflecting language trends and societal anxieties. Following last year's pick, 'polarization,' the selection of 'slop' emphasizes an inescapable truth about our times: the intersection of technology, creativity, and humanity is increasingly complex.
As our digital landscape continues to evolve, navigating through the slop to find clarity and honesty becomes both a challenge and a necessity.
