‘Transgender’ is one of Collins Dictionary’s words of the year

After a year in which gender issues finally went mainstream, the word ‘transgender’ has been named one of the words of the year by Collins Dictionary.

The term’s reported 100% increase in usage was the second largest recorded – which lexicographers attribute to the growing visibility of trans celebrities like Caitlyn Jenner and Laverne Cox, as well as trans characters on TV shows.

‘Binge-watch’ is the word of the year, after its usage spiked up by 200% last year. The word, of course, means “to watch a large number of television programs (especially all the shows from one series) in succession” – an activity most of us are guilty of.

Other finalists include ‘dadbod’, ‘ghosting’ and ‘swipe’ (as in the Tinder usage) – this list is all too real, you guys.

There’s also ‘manspreading’, which isn’t quite as fun as it sounds. It’s “the act or an instance of a male passenger in a bus or train splaying his legs in a way that denies space to the passenger sitting next to him”.

Meanwhile, recent additions to the Collins Dictionary include ‘cisgender’, ‘misgender’ and ‘Mx’.

Below is the complete list of Collins’ words of the year:

binge-watch: to watch a large number of television programmes (especially all the shows from one series) in succession

clean eating: following a diet that contains only natural foods, and is low in sugar, salt, and fat

contactless: referring to payments, smart cards, etc that utilise RFID (radio-frequency identity) technology and do not require a PIN or signature from the customer

Corbynomics: the economic policies advocated by the UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn

dad-bod: an untoned and slightly plump male physique, especially one considered attractive

ghosting: ending a relationship by ignoring all communication from the other person

manspreading: the act or an instance of a male passenger in a bus or train splaying his legs in a way that denies space to the passenger sitting next to him

shaming: attempting to embarrass a person or group by drawing attention to their perceived offence, especially on social media

swipe: to move a finger across a touchscreen on a mobile phone in order to approve (swipe right) or dismiss (swipe left) an image

transgender: of or relating to a person whose gender identity does not fully correspond to the sex assigned to them at birth

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