‘Slop’ named Word of the Year amid rise of low-quality AI content
Merriam-Webster has selected slop as its Word of the Year, citing the term’s sharp rise in usage amid growing public discussion around artificial intelligence and digital content, Qazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
According to Merriam-Webster, slop is defined as “digital content of low quality that is produced usually in quantity by means of artificial intelligence.” The editors noted that the word reflects the widespread flood of AI-generated material that has flooded the online space in 2025.
Ranging from distorted videos and misleading images to low-quality books, propaganda, and even work reports, such content was often criticised, however, as the dictionary pointed out, it was also widely consumed, which showed a contradictory relationship between users and algorithm-driven platforms.
Merriam-Webster traced the word’s evolution back to the 1700s, when slop originally meant soft mud, later expanding to food waste and, more broadly, rubbish or something of little value. In 2025, the term took on a new cultural tone, serving as a mocking response to claims about AI’s creative superiority rather than a purely fearful one.
The editors also highlighted other words that saw notable lookup spikes during the year, including gerrymander, touch grass, performative, tariff, conclave, and the famously long place name Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg.
As reported earlier by Qazinform News Agency, Dictionary.com named the number “67” as its Word of the Year, Cambridge Dictionary selected parasocial, while Oxford Languages chose rage bait as its Word of the Year for 2025.
