Word of the Year named by English students at University of Hawai‘i

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Department of English selected “future” as its 2024 Word of the Year for Hawaiʻi, according to a press release from the university Monday.

The department’s choice acknowledges the complex nature of what lies ahead, the release states.

“‘Future’ is neither clearly positive nor negative. It’s something we might want and something we might fear. It’s something at risk, so it’s something we have to protect,” said John David Zuern, UH Mānoa Department of English chair and professor. “Crucially, it’s something we have to imagine, and as students and teachers in the arts and humanities, we believe that nurturing the imagination is essential to safeguarding a livable future for ourselves and for those who come after us.”

UH Mānoa Department of English undergraduate students in the English Majors Association came up with the word this year, and the Department of English Executive Committee reaffirmed it.

“We felt that at this moment in our country’s history, it would be best to listen to how our students, many of whom are young people, are encapsulating their experiences and aspirations in words,” Zuern said.

Zuern said that the students also considered the following words: “solidarity,” “community,” “hope,” “nightmare,” and “dystopian.”

Today, Merriam-Webster announced its 2024 Word of the Year as “polarization.”