As if Stephen Colbert was running short on praise, his coined term “truthiness” has been selected as the 2006 word of the year by an online Merriam-Webster survey. Tens of thousands of people voted in the survey, with “truthiness” winning by a five-to-one margin. “We’re at a point where what constitutes truth is a question on a lot of people’s minds, and truth has become up for grabs,” said John Morse, Merriam-Webster’s president. “’Truthiness’ is a playful way for us to think about a very important issue.” The Iraq War seems to have been most dominant in the minds of people this year with words like “war”, “insurgent”, “sectarian”, and “corruption” all making the top 10 list.

In reference to the survey and in full character, Colbert sent a statement to the Associated Press. “Though I’m no fan of reference books and their fact-based agendas, I am a fan of anyone who chooses to honor me. And what an honor. Truthiness now joins the lexicographical pantheon with words like `squash,’ `merry,’ `crumpet,’ `the,’ `xylophone,’ `circuitous,’ `others,’ and others.”

However, this is not the first time “truthiness” has been recognized. In 2005, The American Dialect Society picked it as their Word of the Year. Unfortunately, they failed to credit Stephen for coining the term, and subsequently became tagged as the “Number one threat facing America” on Colbert’s show. Although Merriam-Webster has made no plans to include truthiness into their dictionaries, it may be a possibility if the word persists throughout the years.

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