Youthquake has been named 2017’s word of the year. Don’t worry if you’ve never heard or read the word before, you are not alone.
Oxford Dictionaries, which bestows the honour on a single word each year, defines a youthquake as “a significant cultural, political, or social change arising from the actions or influence of young people”.
The word, originally coined in 1965 about London’s fashion scene, beat antifa, broflake, milkshake duck and white fragility to the top spot, despite leaving the public rather confused about it.
The Dictionary people: the word of 2017 is #youthquake!Everyone else: pic.twitter.com/N7T5cyxGGH
— Alex Davies (@alexanderdavies) December 15, 2017
Some felt this wasn’t a word people would use in common parlance, but the decision makers insist the word reached a peak of use during the 2017 election, when the youth vote delivered stunning results for Jeremy Corbyn.
Youthquake, noun. A normal everyday word used all the time by everyone. After using the word, you are legally required to dab.pic.twitter.com/oELHfI8PZU
— James Felton (@JimMFelton) December 15, 2017
When you're having a youthquake pic.twitter.com/BPQdabN69z
— Aisha S Gani (@aishagani) December 15, 2017
"Even if he does say 'Youthquake'…." pic.twitter.com/XJ58D6yBwm
— John Rain (@MrKenShabby) December 15, 2017
Once the news broke, instead of turning to Google, many Twitter users decided to invent their own meanings for the term, and they sure got inventive.
youthquake sounds like a terrible energy drink
— Elena Cresci (@elenacresci) December 15, 2017
Quite a youthquake this morning. I'd give the lavvy five minutes if I were you.
— Stephen Graham (@PlopGazette) December 15, 2017
Having flashbacks to my first youthquake. pic.twitter.com/Y6MvYLs3nH
— Elvis Buñuelo (@Mr_Considerate) December 15, 2017
I think I went to a youthquake once. It was in a warehouse in Enfield and you only got a text with the address an hour before it started.
— Hannah Al-OthMagi🎄 (@HannahAlOthman) December 15, 2017
