Dec. 15 (UPI) -- Editors at Merriam-Webster picked "slop" as 2025's word and say it helped define the year overall.

The word's proliferation online, in part thanks to the widespread availability of generative AI, landed it Merriam-Webster's 2025 word of the year.

Merriam-Webster's 2025 word of the year is "slop," reflecting the rise of low-quality, AI-generated digital content.

Creepy, zany and demonstrably fake content is often called “slop.” The word’s proliferation online, in part thanks to the widespread availability of generative artificial intelligence, landed it Merriam-Webster’s 2025 word of the year. “It’s such an illustrative word,” said Greg Barlow, Merriam-Webster’s president, in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press ahead of Monday’s announcement. […]

“Slop” was first used in the 1700s to mean soft mud, but it evolved more generally to mean something of little value.