LOS ANGELES - Merriam-Webster has named "slop" its 2025 Word of the Year, with the dictionary's human editors selecting the term to capture the surge of low-quality digital content generated by artificial intelligence (AI).

The dictionary publisher defines "slop" as "digital content of low quality that is produced usually in quantity by means of artificial intelligence." It said the flood of "slop" in 2025 included absurd videos, off-kilter advertising images, cheesy propaganda, fake news that appears convincing, junky AI-written books, and so-called "workslop" reports that waste coworkers' time.

According to Merriam-Webster, the word originally meant "soft mud" in the 1700s. In the 1800s, it came to refer to food waste, as in "pig slop," and later took on a broader meaning of rubbish or a product of little or no value.

In 2025, amid widespread discussion about the threats posed by AI, "slop" sets a tone that is less fearful and more mocking, the dictionary said.

US media reports noted that the dictionary publisher's annual word selection, informed by spikes in search data, reflects the themes and public anxieties that shaped the year.