Merriam-Webster has named “slop” as its 2025 Word of the Year, defined as “digital content of low quality that is produced usually in quantity by means of artificial intelligence.” The term originated in the 1700s, evolving from “soft mud” to refer to “rubbish” in modern usage. Merriam-Webster noted the prevalence of absurd videos and AI-generated content as significant examples of slop in 2025. Runners-up included words like “gerrymander” and “touch grass,” while last year’s winner was “polarization.”
