Posted on 20 November 2023
Word of the Year 2023 Shortlist | Vote Now!
The Macquarie Dictionary People’s Choice Word of the Year voting is open now. The shortlist was chosen from the 13 categories under consideration for Word of the Year 2023.
VOTE FOR YOUR WORD OF THE YEAR 2023
You can review the words and definitions below.
Access a pdf of the shortlist here.
SHORTLIST
algospeaknoun a form of coded language used on digital platforms in which words, such as those relating to sex, violence, etc., which would be triggers for a site’s moderation rules to shadowban a user or remove a post, are replaced, by convention, with innocuous words which are sometimes similar in sound or form, as seggs for ‘sex’ and unalive for ‘dead’ or ‘kill’.
angry waternoun Colloquial (humorous) carbonated water.
Bazballnoun Cricket Colloquial an aggressive style of play, especially of the batting side.[named after NZ former cricketer Brendon Barrie (Baz) McCullum (born 1981), who, as coach of the England test team from 2022, trained the team to play in such a manner]
blue-sky floodnoun a flood in low-lying areas caused by the flow of floodwater which has made its way from higher ground after the cessation of substantial rainfall.
boponoun Colloquial body positivity.
boreoutnoun Colloquial a state of demotivation or dissatisfaction in one’s job, brought about by a lack of interesting work.[BORE2 + (BURN)OUT, modelled on BURNOUT]
bridesmaid suburbnoun Colloquial any of various suburbs which surround the most expensive or sought-after suburb in a particular area.[from the notion that a BRIDESMAID supports and is secondary to a bride, the centre of attention at a wedding]
cozzie livs(say kozee 'livz)noun Colloquial cost of living.[humorous play on COST OF LIVING]
crash blossomnoun a phrase or sentence, especially in a news headline, that is ambiguous due to its wording or punctuation.[from such an ambiguous headline in the newspaper Japan Today in 2009: ‘Violinist Linked to JAL Crash Blossoms’]
doof sticknoun Colloquial a long pole topped by a placard, decoration, etc., used as a location marker for a group of friends at a dance or music festival.
debt-trap diplomacynoun Politics a strategy, employed by a country or other institution, of lending to a foreign nation in order to increase political leverage, as by imposing conditions which the borrower is unable to fulfil, thereby forcing them to accept political or economic concessions in lieu of repayment.
doorway effectnoun a psychological phenomenon in which a person’s short-term memory is disrupted when they cross some kind of boundary, such as moving from one room to another.
generative AInoun an artificial-intelligence application which is capable of producing new content, such as text, images, videos, etc., through use of machine learning. Also, generative artificial intelligence.
gravy daynoun Colloquial 21 December.[in reference to this date in the lyrics of How to Make Gravy (1996) by Australian singer Paul KELLY]
hostile architecturenoun a style of architecture for shared public spaces which utilises design features that discourage unwanted behaviour, such as anti-homeless spikes or benches with armrests, to prevent people, especially the homeless, from lying down and sleeping.Also, defensive architecture.
rizzColloquial noun 1. charisma.–verb (t) 2. to attract (a partner), especially for a sexual encounter.[shortening and respelling of CHARISMA; popularised on social media from 2022]
scrotoxnoun Colloquial a botox preparation for the scrotum, especially as used for cosmetic purposes to make the skin appear less wrinkled, and to reduce sweating.[blend of BOTOX and SCROTUM]
shadow worknoun the practice of identifying and accepting one’s repressed or unacknowledged behaviours or traits, thought to improve self-awareness and self-realisation.[popularised by Swiss psychiatrist and psychologist, CG Jung]
skimpflationnoun Commerce a reduction in the quality or availability of a product or service despite the cost to the customer remaining the same, as by reducing the number of service staff or the frequency of a service, or by using lower-quality ingredients in a product.
YIMBY(say 'yimbee)noun a person who is actively supportive of developments such as high- and medium-density housing, prisons, hospitals, airports, military installations, disabled housing, etc., being located in the vicinity of their home. Compare NIMBY. Also, yimby. [y(es) i(n) m(y) b(ack)y(ard); modelled on NIMBY] –yimbyism, noun