Worst Words

A rocket blasts off from a supermarket trolley. The rocket and trolley are in a music stadium.
3 December 2024

Dynamic pricing one day, dynamic definition the next. This year, Oasis fans found that prices soared instantly and did not come back down, which even impacted the tickets already in their shopping carts.

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Aerial view of airplane with red jet engines.
19 December 2023

Every year we hunt for the year’s worst words: the most cringe-worthy buzzwords, jargon, doublespeak and corporate spin.

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Two lion clubs play together on the grass in their fenced enclosure while an adult lion reclines nearby
13 December 2022

When 5 lions escaped their exhibit last month, the zoo released a statement blaming an 'integrity issue' for the breach. This was just one example of spin that caught our eye in this year's round-up of the worst public language.

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A person wearing a medical mask, gloves and protective suit holds their hands up as a signal to stop.
15 December 2021

2021 was another year dominated by COVID-19, and it generated a whole new list of words we didn't know we needed, including ‘centres for national resilience’.

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A group of smiling people stand in a bar, chatting and drinking beer.
22 December 2020

2020 was the year of COVID-19, and it generated some less than welcome words. The South Australia Government eased some coronavirus restrictions and allowed people in bars to drink while standing up… But then they dubbed this ‘vertical consumption‘.

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A White House podium flanked by two United States flags.
22 December 2020

We've taken a look back at the annual Worst Words winners from 2010-2020 to select the Worst Words of the Decade, and there was a clear winner.

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A factory sits under a blue sky smattered with wispy clouds.
19 December 2019

As the moves toward cleaner energy gained momentum in 2019, the US Department of Energy decided to ramp up the spin. It rebranded natural gas as ‘freedom gas' and trumpeted its efforts to help export ‘molecules of US freedom' to the world.

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An office worker carries a box of items from their desk.
18 December 2018

2018 was a particularly poor year for corporate doublespeak and spin. When our national public broadcaster used the phrase 'external career development opportunities' to discuss firing its staff, it joined a long list of institutions incapable of using simple English to describe something difficult.

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A White House podium flanked by two United States flags.
20 December 2017

Political doublespeak dominated our 2017 list as things became seriously Orwellian in the US. At the top of the heap was the worrying ‘alternative facts', suggesting that politicians can be right even when they're wrong.

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Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt pose together at a gala. Brad wears a tuxedo and bowtie and Angelina wears a formal gown.
20 December 2016

Noxious Frankenword 'Brangelexit' topped our 2016 list. Combining Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's celebrity moniker 'Brangelina' with the recent 'Brexit' vote, this elevates a celebrity divorce to the level of a major world event.

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