The American Dialect Society has chosen slop as its 2025 Word of the Year, marking the term's evolution from literal meaning to cultural relevance. Defined as low-quality content produced in high volume, particularly by generative AI, slop reflects growing concerns about content quality in the digital age. More than 300 linguists and language experts voted during the society’s annual meeting in New Orleans, co-hosted with the Linguistic Society of America. Ben Zimmer, chair of the ADS New Words Committee, and Dr. Kelly Elizabeth Wright of the University of Wisconsin-Madison presided over the event.

Originally tied to agriculture and animal feed, slop has expanded semantically, now forming compounds like sloppunk and slopification. The term's prominence highlights the impact of AI on language evolution and digital communication. This selection underscores how linguistic trends mirror societal changes, particularly regarding technology and mass content production.

It impacts linguists, content creators, educators, and tech developers navigating authenticity in AI-generated environments. The American Dialect Society, founded in 1890, emphasizes that its annual vote is both scholarly and lighthearted, celebrating ongoing language transformation.