June 2010

May Top Twenty

The economic plight of Europeans was in the news in May, and the words austere and austerity were often used to identify measures (both official and unofficial) that must be taken in order to bring stability to the ailing Euro Zone. Otherwise, we see many familiar terms in this month's Top Twenty list, but interesting words made cameo appearances throughout the month of May.

  1. ubiquitous
  2. pretentious
  3. albeit
  4. thorough
  5. effect
  6. eclectic
  7. affect
  8. austere
  9. pragmatic
  10. love
 
  1. camaraderie
  2. integrity
  3. didactic
  4. debauchery
  5. austerity
  6. holistic
  7. bear
  8. complement
  9. empathy
  10. visceral

Other words that showed up near the top of daily lists include furtive (from the description of the purported Times Square bomb suspect), purgatory (used in many accounts of the finale of the TV show Lost), and contrite (from the apology by Facebook regarding privacy policies). Also, the word contagion was looked up often connected to the dire economic crisis in Greece, and diatribe became popular after British newspapers reported a phone call from Gordon Brown as a "diatribe laced with threats" during the jockeying of position to form a new government in Britain.


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