Global Perspectives
Word of the Year 2025 is a collective attempt to capture a fleeting historical moment through the most human of tools: language. Rather than imposing a single narrative, this project invites individuals from around the world to describe how 2025 felt using just one word in their native language. Each contribution becomes part of a shared linguistic landscape—a living archive of perception, emotion, and cultural memory. By collecting words across languages, regions, and cultures, this project offers a unique snapshot of 2025 as it was lived and understood from multiple perspectives.
What emerges is a fascinating dual movement. Contributors from the same country often chose strikingly different words, revealing the deeply personal and subjective ways in which a single year can be experienced. At the same time, participants from distant geographies and unrelated linguistic traditions sometimes arrived at the very same word, pointing to shared emotions, common anxieties, or collective hopes that transcend borders. Together, these tensions between difference and overlap create a dynamic portrait of both individuality and connection.
This interplay is not incidental. It reflects two essential forces at work in the world today: the need to affirm subjective experience, and the equally vital need to recognize ourselves in one another. In an era shaped by fragmentation, uncertainty, and rapid change, these movements are fundamental to any process of rebuilding—socially, culturally, and emotionally.
More than a list of words, Word of the Year 2025 is a bridge between cultures. It is an invitation to listen, to compare, and to empathize. Through language, we are reminded that while our experiences may differ, the act of naming them brings us closer together.
ವೈಪರೀತ್ಯ – Inclement
Kannada, India
“This word represents 2025 as an inclement year, one in which nature itself seemed to test humanity. Extreme heat and oppressive humidity gave way to sudden, violent rains and floods, turning the climate into a symbol of instability, uncertainty, and the growing challenges people faced throughout the year.”
Мир & سلام – Peace
Bulgarian, Bulgaria & Arabic, United Arab Emirates
“This word represents 2025 as a collective longing for peace, understood not merely as the absence of war but as shared stability, mutual understanding, and inner calm. Across different cultures and regions, peace emerged as a universal aspiration for balance in an increasingly fractured world.”
Trøst – To comfort
Norwegian, Norway
“This word represents 2025 as a time when offering comfort became essential. In a year marked by uncertainty and emotional strain, the act of comforting others stood out as a fundamental human response, reminding society of the power of care, empathy, and presence.”
परिवर्तन & Verandering – Change
Nepali, Nepal & Afrikaans, South Africa
“This word represents 2025 as a year of profound change, stretching across continents and cultures. From Nepal to South Africa, transformation reshaped societies, tested resilience, and opened new paths forward, making change both a challenge and a source of renewed possibility.”
Compreensão – Understanding
Portuguese, Portugal
“This word represents 2025 as a call for greater understanding between people. It reflects the growing awareness of differences in feelings, thoughts, and ways of living, and the belief that recognizing these differences is essential to building a more inclusive and humane society.”
Saudade – Sense of “bittersweet longing”
Portuguese, Portugal
“This word represents 2025 through saudade, a bittersweet longing that defines emotional life in Portugal. Rooted in memory, identity, and resilience, saudade captures the presence of absence in a year shaped by global upheaval, migration, and reflection. More than nostalgia, it expresses enduring love, emotional depth, and continuity across time.”
Dor – Deep longing
Romanian, Romania
“This word represents 2025 as a year marked by deep longing. For many Romanians, dor expressed a shared desire for calmer, more peaceful times, free from conflict and uncertainty. Its emotional depth, difficult to translate fully, mirrors the complexity of collective feelings experienced throughout the year.”
ꦩꦂꦢꦶꦏ – Freedom, independence
Javanese, Indonesia
“This word represents 2025 as a powerful expression of the desire for freedom. Amid widespread corruption and social unrest, it came to symbolize people’s aspiration to break free from injustice and regain control over their lives and futures.”
Sigma – Someone admired for their independence
Indonesian, Indonesia
“This word represents 2025 as a shift toward independence and emotional detachment. What began as a meme evolved into a mindset embraced by younger generations seeking neutrality, self-growth, and distance from political and religious polarization in an increasingly divided society.”
Fajarse – To work hard and persist through challenges
Spanish, Venezuela
“This word represents 2025 as a testament to perseverance. For Venezuelans at home and in the diaspora, fajarse captured the determination to keep moving forward—rebuilding lives, adapting to change, and striving collectively for a better future despite ongoing hardship.”
Resiliencia – Resilience
Spanish, Argentina
“This word represents 2025 as a year that demanded resilience. In the face of ongoing difficulties and uncertainty, it reflects the determination to keep trying, endure setbacks, and continue pushing forward even when circumstances seemed overwhelmingly complex.”
पारदर्शिता – Transparency
Hindi, India
“This word represents 2025 as a growing demand for transparency. Across India, people increasingly called for clarity in decision-making processes, access to information, and accountability in governance, elections, and press freedom, making transparency a central civic value.”
Sozialstaatsreform – Welfare state reform
German, Germany
“This word represents 2025 as a turning point in attitudes toward welfare state reform. For the first time, social support systems were widely portrayed as burdens rather than safeguards, signaling profound changes that threaten to negatively impact millions of lives.”
Zmatení – Confusion
Czech, Česko
“This word represents 2025 as a time of confusion. As old points of reference faded and new ones failed to provide clarity, many people experienced a sense of disorientation, unsure whether emerging structures truly offered improvement over what was lost.”
Solidarietà – Solidarity
Italian, Italy
“This word represents 2025 as a resurgence of solidarity. In Italy, widespread public mobilization and protests—particularly in response to events in Gaza—reflected a renewed collective awareness and a strong desire to stand together in the face of injustice.”
Zahar – Old
Basque, Gipuzkoa (Spain)
“This word represents 2025 through the idea of old as heritage and continuity. It reflects the ancient roots of the Basque language and identity, highlighted by this year’s archaeological discoveries that reaffirmed its existence long before Romanisation.”
Żółć – Bile
Polish, Poland
“This word represents 2025 as a year permeated by emotional bitterness. In Polish culture, żółć symbolizes resentment, hostility, and inner poison, capturing a collective atmosphere shaped by social tensions, conflict, and widespread dissatisfaction.”
Koregulation – Koregulation
German, Germany
“This word represents 2025 as a growing recognition of koregulation. It emphasizes the importance of shared emotional and physiological balance achieved through trust and social connection, reflecting a global need for mutual support in unstable times.”
Untergangsstimmung – Doom and gloom
German, Germany
“This word represents 2025 as a year closing under a sense of doom and gloom. It captures the prevailing pessimism and widespread feeling that the future is overshadowed by uncertainty, fear, and a lack of hopeful outlooks.”
Stadtbild – Cityscape
German, Germany
“This word represents 2025 through debates around the cityscape. A single political expression sparked nationwide discussion about urban decay, social issues, and public responsibility, showing how everyday language can ignite broader societal reflection.”
Genuine – Genuine
French, Belgium
“This word represents 2025 as a search for what is genuine. In a world saturated with performance and artificiality, people increasingly valued authenticity, sincerity, and real human connection above all else.”
Samhold – Concord, union, solidarity
Norwegian Bokmål, Norway
“This word represents 2025 as a reaffirmation of solidarity. Repeated collective actions against injustice and moments of shared celebration highlighted society’s desire to prioritize unity, cooperation, and togetherness over division.”