Cambridge Dictionary Updates Definition of 'Woman', Searches of Word Show Spike

Searches for the word "woman" on Dictionary.com spiked multiple times in 2022, increasing by 1,400% at the height.

The Cambridge Dictionary has updated its definition of "woman" to include anyone who "identifies as female", regardless of their sex at birth.

Why?: The definition of "woman" has been expanded to include transgender women. 

What's the change?: The Cambridge Dictionary now states that in addition to being defined as an "adult female human being," a woman can also be “an adult who lives and identifies as female though they may have been said to have a different sex at birth."

"Mary is a woman who was assigned male at birth," the dictionary states as an example.

What else you must know: A similar change has been made to the definition of "man." The word may now be used to define "an adult who lives and identifies as male though they may have been said to have a different sex at birth."

Dictionary.com Picks 'Woman' as Word of The Year

In another notable development, "woman" has been chosen as the 'word of the year' by Dictionary.com.

Why?: Searches for the word "woman" on Dictionary.com spiked significantly multiple times this year, increasing by more than 1,400 percent during the height of lookups. This is a massive leap for such a common word.

What's behind the increased search?: Women were prominent in several of 2022’s key moments and the discourse around them.

• The biggest search spike on Dictionary.com was seen in March, during a confirmation hearing for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who, in April, became the first Black woman to be confirmed as a US Supreme Court justice.

• Some other events that contributed to the spike was the a leak suggesting that the US Supreme Court would overturn Roe v Wade (May), Queen Elizabeth II's death (September), and the protests in Iran following Mahsa Amini's death (October).

Why it matters: The word "woman," is one of the oldest words in the English language and yet it continues to be a source of debate. The word is a "prime example of the many gender terms undergoing shifts in how and to whom they’re applied," as per Dictionary.com.