Merriam-Webster Word of the Year 2019: They

There were a few things towards the end of 2019 that made me happy. ‘They’ being chosen as word of the year, was one among them.

Over the last year, I have started using ‘they’ frequently as pronouns for people whose pronouns I did not know, and it started from something really simple: I choose to not give pronouns to someone else. I want to let them be them, pick their pronouns, respect their identity, and not judge them.

I’m not perfect, and I’m still learning. But I’m extremely glad that in 2019, my word of the year was the same .