Naturally, such changes in our lifestyle led to the emergence of new trendy words. With all the ups and downs, people needed new words that had captured the state of the world and the cultural mood of 2021. Sometimes these were completely new words, and sometimes old ones that obtained a new meaning. Read our article and find out the top 10 most popular words of 2021.

Vaccine and vaccination

The most frequently used words were undoubtedly vaccine and vaccination. However, everyday language differs from academic dictionaries. It is less formal. This is why people usually change words by adding emotions or extra meaning to them. As a result, a long word vaccination was shortened to vax. The Oxford Languages named vax its word of the year. Apart from that, as many countries started rolling out COVID-19 vaccinations, another word "anti-vaxxer" earned a spot as one of the trendiest words of last year.

QR-code

As the virus spread was out of control, many governments were forced to impose a QR code system. They made QR-codes obligatory to access public places which caused outrage among citizens. On the one hand, such measures restrict freedom. On the other hand, they help people to better protect themselves from the virus.

Face mask, Sputnik

Such words as face mask, social-distancing, and self-isolation also went viral in 2021. Curiously enough, many people got acquainted with the Russian word "Sputnik", a name of the vaccine developed in Russia.

Simple dimple

In 2021, social networks began to discuss the new anti-stress toy - "simple dimple". Simple dimple, a silicone toy with several convex-concave parts, was widely popular not only among children but among adults as well. Bright and colorful, simple dimple is designed in a way that the bubbles do not burst but they are pressed in. After pressing in all the dimples, simple dimple can be turned over. Therefore, the process will start over.

Мeta

As many people started working remotely, companies were in great need of related technology. As a result, the profit of tech companies skyrocketed during the pandemic. Mark Zuckerberg came up with the idea of Horizon Worlds. After Facebook's rebranding in Meta, Zuckerberg and his team are working hard on developing the metaverse. Meta will combine the best parts of virtual and augmented reality (AR/VR). It will be a place where people can socialize, play and work, try on and buy things, go to museums, concerts, etc. Notably, major market players, especially the gaming industry, are already investing in this industry.

Perseverance

The word perseverance became one of the buzziest in February after NASA’s Mars rover “Perseverance” landed successfully on the planet on February 18th. The project has been underway since 2013 with hundreds of people involved in it. As a result, 8 years later, in February 2021, the whole world could watch a live stream of how the space mission was being carried out. Apparently, people kept expanding the world, virtual and physical ones, even despite the pandemic. What is more, "perseverance" means resistance, strength, and endurance. These were the qualities people desperately needed in 2021.

NFT

NFT, non-fungible tokens, became one of the biggest trends of last year. Each NFT certificate has its own unique identifier. Hence, it makes it one of a kind. Apart from that, such tokens have an inherent value and ownership rights. The digital art market is now worth about $250 million. For example, a one-of-a-kind digital token, the Nyan Cat meme, was sold for $600,000 in an online auction. Formally, there are no laws or even precedents that regulate NFT copyright.

Emoji

Emoji is a graphic language where combinations of pictures and emoticons are used instead of words. It is designed to convey emotions and sentiment. The emoji first appeared in Japan, having become increasingly popular worldwide shortly after. Nowadays, more than 90% of Internet users regularly add emojis to their messages. Some people can even replace words and sentences with them. The most frequently used emojis in 2021 were "face tears of joy" and "the red heart". After all, joy and love rule the modern world.