Cambridge Dictionary Reveals ‘Manifest’ As The Word Of The Year 2024

As a reflection of the impact of social media and celebrity discourse on “manifesting” success through the power of visualisation, the Cambridge Dictionary has designated ‘manifest’ the Word of the Year 2024. ‘Quishing’ and ‘gymfluencer’ are possible additions to the vocabulary, along with new terms like ‘ecotarian’ and ‘demure’. The strength of creativity and the impact of social media are factors influencing the zeitgeist of 2024.

Cambridge Dictionary’s Word Of The Year: Manifest

Though this idea is unproven and comes from a spiritual philosophy movement that has been around for a century, ‘manifest’ refers to the idea of visualising attaining what one wants in the hopes that it will boost its chances of success.

The global manifesting trend has impacted the 2024 Cambridge Dictionary Word of the Year, ‘manifest’ which has received close to 130,000 views on the dictionary’s website. In 2024, ‘manifest’ is one of the most frequently searched terms on the Cambridge Dictionary website.

In the self-help community and on social media, the term ‘manifest’ gained prominence after 2024, when celebrities like Ollie Watkins, Simone Biles, and Dua Lipa discussed manifesting their success. Particularly on TikTok, where millions of tweets and videos utilise the manifest hashtag, the phrase acquired popularity during the outbreak and has now expanded.

Manifesting is a trend that has extended beyond the professional level in India. When certain Bollywood celebrities manifested their relationships on the well-known talk show Koffee with Karan’s couch and eventually got married, this term and its meaning went viral.

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Here’s What The Experts Have To Say About ‘Manifest’

Wendalyn Nichols, the Cambridge Dictionary’s publishing manager, stated in a press release that ‘Manifest’ was the winner this year due to a notable increase in lookups.

The word serves as an example of how meanings can evolve throughout time. Experts warn, however, that ‘manifesting’ is not scientifically valid and might result in dangerous behaviour or the spread of untrue ideas. The phrase ‘manifesting’ refers to visualising a goal in the hopes that it will increase its likelihood. The unproven concept of manifesting came from a movement in spiritual philosophy that dates back 100 years. Experts caution against using ‘manifesting’ to encourage dangerous behaviour or erroneous ideas.

Further, Dr. Sander van der Linden, author and Professor of Social Psychology at the University of Cambridge said that psychologists refer to manifesting as ‘magical thinking’ or the widespread delusion that certain mental practices can alter the environment we live in.

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In 2024, what did you manifest for yourself?

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