Word of the Year 2006: Truthiness

Merriam-Webster, the official dictionary of American English, has chosen "truthiness" as its word of the year 2006.

This word was coined Stephen Colbert on his TV show The Colbert Report to describe a state in which someone makes a truth claim with no evidence or facts to back it up. The claim by Ex-Defence Secretary Rumsy that Saddam was in possession of WMDs might be an example of "truthiness."

Truthiness has been used to ridicule and satirize claims made governments, business executives and those on the Right of the American political spectrum. Truthiness is not even a word in the MW dictionary, although that will soon change.

The rest of the 2006 MW top ten is as follows:

2. google

3. decider

4. war

5. insurgent

6. terrorism

7. vendetta

7. sectarian

8. quagmire

9. corruption