Dictionary.com selects word of the year

OAKLAND, Calif.—Dictionary.com has selected a word of the year.

The company chose “misinformation.”

The announcement follows Oxford Dictionary’s word of the year selection of “toxic” earlier this month.

According to Dictionary, misinformation is defined as the “false information that is spread, regardless of whether there is intent to mislead."

In an interview with The Associated Press, Jane Solomon, a linguist-in-residence at Dictionary, said, "Misinformation has been around for a long time, but over the last decade or so the rise of social media has really, really changed how information is shared. We believe that understanding the concept of misinformation is vital to identifying misinformation as we encounter it in the wild, and that could ultimately help curb its impact."

Runner up for the designation was “representation”, based on the release of movies “Black Panther” and “Crazy Rich Asians."

Dictionary.com chose "complicit" as last year's word of the year. It was "xenophobia" in 2016.