In October of 2020, immediately after Judge Amy Coney Barrett was admonished by the left for using the term “sexual preference”, Merriam-Webster changed the definition to make it so.
According to a Daily Wire analysis, Merriam-Webster is modifying words and phrases at a fast clip to align with far-left sensibilities.
The computer analysis compared the current dictionary with one from January 2020 – just predating the COVID pandemic and the rush of protests driven by Black Lives Matter.
That includes changing the definitions of “vaccine” and “systemic.” Here is part three of the findings, covering the final third of the alphabet.
misogyny added social justice-inspired examples like “a mission to expose the common cord that nourishes capitalism, misogyny, classism, and fat hatred.” That’s a quote from Anastasia Higginbotham, who wrote a book “about sex” for kids that stresses “sex positivity.”
misogynistic was edited to remove a reference to a rapper’s misogyny and added several others, such as one about the misogyny of university clubs, another about “society” on a “systemic level,” and one about those who criticized the female-lead “Ghostbusters” movie reboot.
Negro went from “sometimes offensive” to “often offensive.”
Added neurodiverse, “NOTE: The term neurodiverse is related to the concept of neurodiversity, which proposes that variation in brain functioning within the human population is normal and that brain functioning that is not neurotypical should not be stigmatized.”
nonindigeneous now refers to a social justice warrior, as in “They establish an equitable relationship between the non-Indigenous researcher and the Indigenous community, recognize the struggles of that community and value its strengths.”
normalize added the radical leftist usage “to allow or encourage (something considered extreme or taboo) to become viewed as normal,” such as “Let’s normalize real talk around mental health.”
pansy when referring to “a weak or effeminate man or boy” is now not just a “disparagement,” but “a term of abuse.”
performative also became a CRT word, with examples like “A large part of the discussion surrounding the movement’s focus is on actually doing the work, rather than just keeping it a performative symbol of allyship” (a quote from a Teen Vogue contributor) and “Without black executives, anti-racism signaling is merely performative.”
pronoun was changed to “the third person personal pronouns (such as he/him, she/her, and they/them) that a person goes by,” including the sample “I’m Jade, my pronouns are they/them.“
racism went from simple definitions like “a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race” to an expansive one quoting from critical race theorist bell hooks and Communist Angela Davis. It includes a quote saying “People of color, low-income people, and Indigenous peoples have been made especially vulnerable through decades of environmental racism: policies that intentionally concentrate pollution and toxic hazards in our communities.”
racialization, as in “The subsequent criminalization of ‘illegal aliens’ rests upon US citizens’ racializations of those residing south of the border and disproportionately endangers Mexican women and children.”
redskin went from “usually offensive” to “offensive.”
A slum used to be marked by both poverty and social disorganization, but now only by poverty.
Added social distance, as in “additional steps may be taken to prevent spread of the virus. These include finding ways to increase social distance in classrooms, or holding outdoor classes.”
Added soul sister, “a Black girl or woman.”
systemic now not only means “relating to, or common to a system,” but “fundamental to a predominant social, economic, or political practice,” such as “Our nation faces a fork in the road and a decision to either continue down the same path of systemic racism or to confront our past honestly” and “People are tired of marching. People are tired of hashtag protests. People want some systemic change.”
tranny went from “sometimes disparaging” to “disparaging + offensive.”
transition went from 67 words to 1,003 to accommodate new content such as “a process by which a transgender person comes to live in accordance with their gender identity through changes to their appearance and presentation often with the aid of medical procedures and therapies NOTE: While many associate this meaning of transition with a process that involves hormone therapy, gender confirmation surgery, and legal name change, the term is also applied more broadly, since what transition involves can vary a great deal from person to person. In some cases, for example, the word transition may simply refer to the adoption of new personal pronouns and/or a change in clothing, hairstyle, etc.”
Added transmasculine: “of, relating to, or being a person whose gender identity is partially or fully masculine and differs from the sex the person had or was identified as having at birth,” as in “heterosexual and woman-focused lactation language … can misgender, isolate, and harm transmasculine parents.” Also transfeminine.
vaccine changed from “a preparation of killed microorganisms, living attenuated organisms, or living fully virulent organisms that is administered to produce or artificially increase immunity to a particular disease” to 433 words including “a preparation of genetic material (such as a strand of synthesized messenger RNA) that is used by the cells of the body to produce an antigenic substance (such as a fragment of virus spike protein).”
white has been redefined. “NOTE: The meaning of white as it relates to population groups has historically been fluid, with people of particular ancestries being excluded for a time before being included, and vice versa. The category has also often functioned as a grouping into which people who are not designated as belonging in some other category are placed.” It says it can now be used to say “That’s mighty white of you.“
whiteness went from simply “the quality or state of being white” to a social justice screed, such as “The proposition that whiteness, as such, has no content but is rather a negation, the identity of not-being-black, is a shocking revelation to most white Americans, who continue to imagine that there is a nonracist way of defining their whiteness in positive terms.”
Added white privilege: “the set of social and economic advantages that white people have by virtue of their race.”
WOC went from “without compensation” to “woman of color,” who “frequently report that colleagues and peers question their credibility and legitimacy.”
This is the last of three parts. For more, see Newspeak: How Merriam-Webster Is Redefining Words To Fit A Leftist Agenda – Part 2.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.