Given the growing trend in the number of people trying manifesto their goals and dreams, and the word that has been searched almost 130,000 times on the Cambridge Dictionary website, the word Manifesto has been chosen as Cambridge Dictionary’s word of the year for 2024. According to their website, the manifesto is one of the most viewed words of 2024.
Originally used in the self-help community, the word is now widely used in social media, mainstream media, and beyond. Even celebrities such as singer Dua Lipa, Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, actress Alia Bhatt and England striker Olly Watkins have spoken about showing off their success.
The phrase “manifest” is used in the sense of “imagining yourself to achieve something you want, believing that doing so will make it more likely.” However, manifesting is an untested idea that grew out of a 100-year-old movement in spiritual philosophy.
Speaking about how “Manifesto” was chosen as the word of the year 2024 by Cambridge Dictionaries, Wendalyn Nicholspublishing manager of Cambridge Dictionaries, said: “When we choose the Cambridge Dictionaries Word of the Year, we have three considerations: which word was searched for the most or which was the most popular word? Which one really reflects what happened that year? What is interesting about this word from a linguistic point of view? ‘Manifesto’ won this year because it has grown significantly in searches, its use has expanded significantly across all types of media due to the events of 2024, and it shows how the meanings of a word can change over time.”
However, experts warn that violent “manifestation” has become quite popular among people, it has no scientific validity. This can lead to risky behavior or the promotion of false and dangerous beliefs, for example, diseases can be simply wished away.
Dr. Sander van der Linden, author of The Psychology of Misinformation and professor of social psychology at the University of Cambridge, said in a statement: “A manifesto is what psychologists call ‘magical thinking’ or the general illusion that certain mental rituals can change the world. around us.
“Manifesting gained huge popularity during the TikTok pandemic with billions of views, including the popular 3-6-9 method, which requires you to write down your wishes three times in the morning, six times in the afternoon and nine times before bed. Does this procedure promote obsessive and compulsive behavior without the obvious benefits of “demonstrating” your success?
“The ‘manifestation’ of wealth, love and power can lead to unrealistic expectations and disappointment. Consider the dangerous idea that you can cure serious illnesses simply by wishing them away.
“There is good research on the value of positive thinking, self-affirmation and goal setting. Self-belief, a positive attitude, setting realistic goals and putting in the effort pay off because people are making a difference in the real world. However, it is very important to understand the difference between the power of positive thinking and driving reality with your mind – the former is healthy and the latter is pseudoscience.”
How the word “Manifesto” has evolved over the years
The 600-year history of the word “manifesto” shows how the meaning of the word can change over time. The oldest meaning, written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th century as “many”, is an adjective meaning “easy to see” or “obvious”.
In the mid-1800s, this meaning was used in American politics with the idea of ”manifest destiny,” the belief that American settlers were clearly destined to expand across North America.
Chaucer also used the verb “manifest” in its oldest sense, meaning “to show something clearly by signs or actions.” Shakespeare used “manifest” as an adjective in The Merchant of Venice: “For it seems by manifest process that . . . you have attempted against the very life of the defendant.”
The verb is still often used in this form. For example, people may express their feelings, such as dissatisfaction, or may show symptoms of illness. The company’s problems can be manifested in a drop in the price of its shares.
Other words of 2024
Besides “manifesto,” other popular terms in 2024 according to Cambridge Dictionary include:
1. brat
a child, especially one who misbehaves
Brat’ went viral in the summer of 2024 thanks to pop artist Charli XCX’s self-titled album about non-conformist women who reject the narrow and highly groomed female identity as presented on social media. (We weren’t the only dictionary publisher to notice this.)
2. restrained
quiet and well behaved
Influencer Jules LeBron’s satirical use of the word “demure” in a TikTok post mocking stereotypical femininity led to a search in Cambridge Dictionary. After a wild summer, we had a quiet autumn.
3. Zalatauska
is used to describe a situation in which something is or should be exactly right
In early 2024, financial reporters described India’s strong growth and moderate inflation as a Goldilocks economy.
4. Ecotarian
a person who only eats food produced or prepared in a way that does not harm the environment
In 2024, the term became more popular, reflecting the growing interest in environmentally conscious living.
Words that Cambridge started tracking in 2024 include:
1. quishing: QR code phishing scam.
2. resentment: continue to do one’s job, but resent it. This mixture of “offense” and “absenteeism” appears in business journalism.
3. Gymfluencer: A social media influencer whose content is about fitness or bodybuilding.
4. Cocktail Party Problem (aka Cocktail Party Effect): Difficulty focusing on one voice when there are multiple speakers in the room. This term from audiology is now used to refer to artificial intelligence.
5. vamp: A vamp device or vamp appliance is something that uses energy even when not in use. This is a new, adjectival meaning of an existing word.
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