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In case you haven't heard, Merriam-Webster has a personality. The Twitter account of the renowned American dictionary is filled with snark, wit, and a good bit of political commentary. That last bit is sometimes delivered through nothing more than what dictionaries are famous for: providing a word's definition. Throughout the campaign and subsequent election of President Trump, the @MerriamWebster Twitter account emerged as a champion of the concept that politicians should be held accountable for their words. Perhaps that shouldn't have taken so many by surprise, considering that precision of language is the daily work of lexicographers.
Merriam-Webster's Twitter account has seen astronomical growth in followers over the past 18 months. At the end of December 2016, @MerriamWebster had 200,000 followers. Just four months later, that number has more than doubled to 429,000. That's an impressive leap for anyone, but especially for a dictionary that had just 60,000 followers less than two years ago.
From providing the definition of "fact" for Kellyanne Conway to defining "complicit" for Ivanka Trump, @MerriamWebster has been ready and willing to jump into the political (and pop cultural) fray. Here are 21 examples of how the dictionary's Twitter made sure that no nonsense in the language sphere went unnoticed.
1
Not So Fast, Ivanka
Pols in the future might think twice before publicly saying they don't know what a word means. @MerriamWebster is listening.
2
You're Not Special, TV
That's right. The @MerriamWebster Twitter feed was nominated for a Webby. Move aside, John Oliver.
3
Let's Define "Immunity"
Retired Gen. Michael Flynn resigned from President Trump's administration, the first to officially leave the White House West Wing. Weeks later, he asked for immunity in exchange for his testimony.
4
It IS A Good Word
It looks like Merriam-Webster was ahead of the game here, posting this just days before reports broke news that Erik Prince, brother to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, allegedly tried to set up a "backchannel" between Russia and the U.S. government. Prescience. And WHOA.
5
What's the word for when someone promotes or hires a family member??
Trump has installed both his daughter Ivanka and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, as White House advisers. In the word of Merriam-Webster, that's called "nepotism."
6
Weighing In On The First United Airlines Controversy
Remember when United Airlines was only dealing with one major PR crisis after barring two girls from boarding because they were wearing leggings? Well, according to the dictionary, leggings are defined as pants.
7
Donald Trump Didn't Invent "Fake News"
History is what it is, and fake news has been around long before Trump.
8
Pay Attention To This Modifier
After Rep. Devin Nunes said he'd been made privy to new information on Trump's claim that President Obama had "wiretapped" Trump and his campaign, the current POTUS said he felt "somewhat vindicated." Merriam-Webster defined "vindicate," but check out their cheeky comment on "somewhat."
9
When Word-Nerds Disagree
Former Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia apparently took issue with the third edition of Merriam-Webster for its updated definition of "modify."
10
No Emoji Required
Why be lazy and click on a pre-made emoji when you can instead provide the words to define said emotion?
11
Hey, Oxford Comma: Step Back
Whether or not to use the Oxford comma, also known as the serial comma, is a fun debate to get into with a grammarian sometime (my vote: use it, bud). But Merriam-Webster also supports the "Oxford" comma, so why isn't it called the "Merriam-Webster" comma? Could Anglophilia be to blame?
13
On The Oxymoron "Alternative Facts"
The key phrase in this definition is "objective reality." Because if information possesses that, there can be no "alternative." #thepowerofwords
14
Dictionary Dares You Not To Call Yourself A Feminist
"Men and women should have equal rights and opportunities." There's the definition of feminism. Perhaps Kellyanne Conway might clarify why she finds it "difficult" to call herself a feminist?
15
"Military" Means Military
After White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer tried to argue that Trumps calling deportations a "military operation" actually meant something more akin to a "precision" course of action, Merriam-Webster was like, "Not so fast."
16
Freedom Of Speech Forever
In case anyone thought @MerriamWebster only clapped back at Republicans, here's their Twitter defending freedom of speech... to THE ACLU.
17
"Climate" And "Weather" Are Not Synonyms
Precision of language saves the day by helping remind everyone that weather is not the same thing as climate.
18
You Guys, "Bigly" Is A Word
Trump's use of "big league" to describe how he sees some of his ideas unfolding favorably is grammatically correct. But when certain listeners (ahem) hear it as "bigly," it's worth noting that would also be a no-problem grammar choice.
19
And Maybe "Unpresidented" Will Become A Word Someday...
Trump tweeted a message that included the non-existent word "unpresidented," apparently meaning "unprecedented." The Guardian got such a kick out of it, they named it their "word of the year." Merriam-Webster also responded by defining "huh." Nice.
20
Fake Clappers Beware
During Trump's first visit to the CIA, he received a lot of applause. After the fact, it came to light that many of those enthusiastic clappers had been brought along for show. Merriam-Webster's got a word for that: claquers.
21
Win
Trump claimed he had "the best words." But obviously, Merriam-Webster has the real stake on that claim. And who could argue with them?
So if you haven't yet followed @MerriamWebster, I'm not sure what excuse is left. Plus, they offer the old school treat of a "word of the day." Double win.
