Year in a word: SpacThis year financiers dodged pesky reporting requirements with a newly popular vehicleYear in a word: QAnonRumours of a cabal of satanic sex traffickers plotting to overthrow the US president shifted from far-right fringes to the mainstreamYear in a word: CancelledPublic campaigns against alleged bigotry sparked high-profile resistanceYear in a word: SourdoughBreadmaking helped alleviate lockdown boredom and tapped into a desire to limit processed foodYear in a word: DoomscrollingStuck at home, we obsessively checked our phones for more bad newsYear in a word: Wolf warriorChinese diplomats fight fire with fire to defend their country’s honour against accusations from the west More from this SeriesYear in a word: * shaped recoveryMarkets proved powerless to resist a relentless barrage of letter shapes to describe how they might bounce backYear in a word: Covid-19The disease that has had such a huge human and economic cost was first publicly named in FebruaryYear in a word: ZoomSilicon Valley communication company became a lockdown phenomenon and a verbYear in a word: BlackLivesMatterThe shocking video of George Floyd’s killing confronted Americans with their history of systemic racismYear in a word: R numberEpidemiological jargon has surged exponentially (R>1) in usage this yearYear in a word: TechopolyThe tech sector has been on a tear even as the biggest companies are under threat from regulatorsYear in a word: RecountNo US presidential election in modern memory has been subjected to as many challenges
Year in a word: SpacThis year financiers dodged pesky reporting requirements with a newly popular vehicleYear in a word: QAnonRumours of a cabal of satanic sex traffickers plotting to overthrow the US president shifted from far-right fringes to the mainstreamYear in a word: CancelledPublic campaigns against alleged bigotry sparked high-profile resistanceYear in a word: SourdoughBreadmaking helped alleviate lockdown boredom and tapped into a desire to limit processed foodYear in a word: DoomscrollingStuck at home, we obsessively checked our phones for more bad newsYear in a word: Wolf warriorChinese diplomats fight fire with fire to defend their country’s honour against accusations from the west More from this SeriesYear in a word: * shaped recoveryMarkets proved powerless to resist a relentless barrage of letter shapes to describe how they might bounce backYear in a word: Covid-19The disease that has had such a huge human and economic cost was first publicly named in FebruaryYear in a word: ZoomSilicon Valley communication company became a lockdown phenomenon and a verbYear in a word: BlackLivesMatterThe shocking video of George Floyd’s killing confronted Americans with their history of systemic racismYear in a word: R numberEpidemiological jargon has surged exponentially (R>1) in usage this yearYear in a word: TechopolyThe tech sector has been on a tear even as the biggest companies are under threat from regulatorsYear in a word: RecountNo US presidential election in modern memory has been subjected to as many challenges