“Gaslighting”, i.e. manipulation of consciousness, misrepresentation, deceit. This is Merriam-Webster’s word of the year.

According to the Guardian, searches for the word on the dictionary site increased by 1,740% in 2022 compared to the previous year. It is noteworthy that there was not a single event that would lead to a significant increase in search queries for this word.

“The word has come into the English language so quickly, especially in the last four years, that it came as a surprise to me and many of the team,” Merriam-Webster’s Peter Sokolowski told The New York Times. The Associated Press ahead of the announcement of the word of the year.

“This word was searched for every day of the year,” he said, as the dictionary selects its “word of the year” based on the search.

The specific dictionary definition of gaslighting is the psychological manipulation of a person, usually over an extended period of time, which “causes the victim to doubt the correctness of their own thoughts, perceptions of reality or memories and usually results in confusion, loss of confidence and self-esteem, insecurity in their emotional or mental stability and dependence on the offender.

Gaslighting is a technique used by people with abusive/manipulative behavior in relationships, as well as by politicians and other news figures. Can someone accept this behavior from their partner, family or friends. It can also be used as a corporate practice or as a way to mislead the public. There is also “medical gaslighting” where a healthcare professional ignores a patient’s symptoms or illness, telling them that it is, in fact, all in their head.

Later, the term was also used by mental health professionals to clinically describe a form of prolonged and intrusive control in abusive relationships.

Source: Guardian