Language of the Day: Authentic
While we’re waiting to find out what the Word of the Year for 2024 will be, let’s look at the word “authentic” which was 2023’s Word of the Year!
This is an excerpt from the following article: https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/word-of-the-year
Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year for 2023 is authentic - the term for something we’re thinking about, writing about, aspiring to, and judging more than ever.
A high-volume lookup most years, authentic saw a substantial increase in 2023, driven by stories and conversations about AI, celebrity culture, identity, and social media.
Authentic has a number of meanings including “not false or imitation,” a synonym of real and actual; and also “true to one’s own personality, spirit, or character.” Although clearly a desirable quality, authentic is hard to define and subject to debate—two reasons it sends many people to the dictionary.
Authentic is often connected to identity, whether national or personal: words frequently modified by authentic include cuisine and dish, but also self and voice. Celebrities like singers Lainey Wilson, Sam Smith, and especially Taylor Swift all made headlines in 2023 with statements about seeking their “authentic voice” and “authentic self.”
And with the rise of artificial intelligence—and its impact on deepfake videos, actors’ contracts, academic honesty, and a vast number of other topics—the line between “real” and “fake” has become increasingly blurred.
Here are some example sentences:
“Although it’s easy and affordable to make instant ramen noodles at home, it doesn’t compare to eating out at an authentic Japanese ramen shop.”
“It’s my dream to own an authentic Rolex watch one day, but for now the fake one I have is a pretty good imitation.”
“I find it difficult to be authentic during job interviews because I’m concerned with making a good impression that I end up acting like a completely different person.”