Unfriend is U.S. dictionary's 2009 word of the year

Tuesday 17th November, 04:00 AM JST

NEW YORK —

What word sums up 2009? How about unfriend?

That’s the New Oxford American Dictionary’s 2009 Word of the Year. It means to remove someone as a friend on a social networking web site such as Facebook.

Each year Oxford University Press tracks how the English language is changing and chooses a word that best reflects the mood of the year.

Finalists for 2009 also included netbook, which is a small laptop, and sexting, which is sending sexually explicit texts and pictures by cell phone.

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13 Comments

some14some at 01:26 PM JST - 17th November

Is *manga cultural virus *spreading in the States too? Uninstall this word.
Yelnats at 02:25 PM JST - 17th November

I like sexting.
stirfry at 05:40 PM JST - 17th November

amazingly dumb word
sundoor at 07:00 PM JST - 17th November

Yelnats- "I like sexting."

Why would you admit that in public? ;p
nandakandamanda at 10:20 PM JST - 17th November

Do you ever get the distinct feeling JT is trying to unfriend you?
Sarge at 10:28 PM JST - 17th November

I agree with stirfry.
LoveUSA at 10:30 PM JST - 17th November

please unfriend me.
Sarge at 10:33 PM JST - 17th November

Love - Never!
LoveUSA at 10:58 PM JST - 17th November

Love - Never!

No sexting then, please.
flatearther at 11:01 PM JST - 17th November

It's not newspeak, just slang.
Don't they use slang in Okinawa? They do in Tokyo, it's the same thing in America. Language is a living thing and evolves at a rapid pace. I hope unfriend doesn't face the same terrible fate that the word bootylicious did when it was nominated to be in the dictionary. I haven't heard that word in years, after it was put in the dictionary, it just died a slow death.
SwissToni at 02:37 AM JST - 18th November

If youre unfriendly does that mean youve removed all your friends from facebook?
LoveUSA at 08:06 AM JST - 18th November

If youre unfriendly does that mean youve removed all your friends from facebook?

In my case yes, I require the people whom I have deleted to delete me too and to go their separate way.
LoveUSA at 09:14 PM JST - 18th November

Love - Never!

Please unfriend me, I will do anything you wish but unfriend me.