Defined as "choosing to be involved in an illegal or questionable act," Dictionary.com said the 'complicit' is associated with everything from Russia's involvement with the U.S. election, Trump's decision to opt out of the Paris Climate Agreement to the growing sexual harassment allegations in the society.
The online dictionary announced that the not-so-reassuring adjective is 2017's standout word because it's "indicative of larger trends that resonated throughout the year."
The 'complicit' word has been used several times throughout 2017. Many also remembered that the word made sparks after Ivanka Trump started a debate about whether or not she understood the meaning of the word.
In an interview Ivanka was asked about how media reports calling her and her husband Jared "complicit." Ivanka replied, "I don't know what it means to be complicit," and naturally the internet had a field day. "If being complicit is wanting to be a force for good and to make a positive impact, then I’m complicit," Ivanka continued.
Then after "Saturday Night Live" showed Ivanka (played by Scarlett Johansson) promoting her new perfume, called, "Complicit." It was marketed with the tagline, "The fragrance for the woman who could stop all this, but won't."
“Lookups for the word complicit increased by nearly 300 percent in searches in 2017 as compared to 2016," said Liz McMillan, CEO of Dictionary.com. So here, the curiosity wasn't solely pegged to the Trump administration and Russia.
Dictionary.com also noted that by pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement and not taking enough action against climate change "many feel that we are all directly complicit in the worsening extreme weather patterns that continue to impact people across the globe."
Merriam-Webster Dictionary shared that "complicit" had become the top on-site lookup, but the online dictionary chooses 'feminism' instead.
