In the past year, the word has been used in an array of contexts — relationships, cultures and even politicians.
From the poisoning of the former Russian agent Sergei Skripal in Salisbury to toxic workplace environments and the spread of toxic waste in the wake of natural disasters — there has been a 45% rise in the number of times the word was searched on oxforddictionaries.com.
Among the runner-up words that almost made the cut were ‘gaslighting,' ‘cakeism,' and ‘big dick energy.'