Slop is the Merriam-Webster word of the year amid AI Boom

The word of 2025 is “Slop,” according to Merriam-Webster. The word refers to something of little value, especially low-quality online content generated by AI.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Merriam-Webster’s president, Greg Barlow, explained that "Slop" was first used in the 1700s to mean soft mud, but it later evolved to mean something of little value. The definition has since expanded to mean "digital content of low quality that is produced usually in quantity by means of artificial intelligence."

"It’s part of a transformative technology, AI, and it’s something that people have found fascinating, annoying, and a little bit ridiculous" he adds.

Every year, Merriam-Webster chooses a word that best describes the current moment. Last year, Merriam-Webster chose the word "polarization.”

Other words that were looked up regularly in 2025 include performative, gerrymander, and 6-7.