9 songs that use Dictionary.com's word of the year
There's no denying the fact that this year has been a hard one, marked by everything from sexual assault allegations to politics gone awry, and so it should come as no surprise that Dictionary.com's word of the year is one that hits back just as much.
That's right: Complicit.
Read more: 17 bands speaking out with their music in 2017
According to Time, look-ups of the word increased nearly 300 percent over last year, as “complicit” hit on so many issues our nation and world has faced over the past year.
“This year a conversation that keeps on surfacing is what exactly it means to be complicit,” lexicographer Jane Solomon said, Time shares. “Complicit has sprung up in conversations about those who speak out against powerful figures in institutions, and those who stay silent.”
There were reportedly three major spikes in the search for the word—with the biggest bump sparked by Ivanka Trump's interview earlier this year where she claimed to not know the meaning of the word. (Which then prompted this SNL skit…)
This morning, Dictionary.com officially unveiled their word of the year in one of the sassiest announcements we've seen in a long while. (We all remember that covfefe happening…)
We're so excited to announce that the Word of the Year is covfefe!
JUST KIDDING! But it is complicit. https://t.co/duT1xbaA5D#Complicit #WordOftheYear #ScaredYouDidntWe pic.twitter.com/P8fIL5LKOk
— Dictionary.com (@Dictionarycom) November 27, 2017
And with so many events unfolding in the political and entertainment worlds, it only makes sense that this word is relevant both in today's political climate and in politically-charged lyrics. Listen to a few songs that use the word “complicit” (or complicity) below.
Rise Against, “Architects”:
“The cliché, apathetic, passed out on the floor/The trusty complicit who collectively ignore”
Fleet Foxes, “- Naiads, Cassadies”:
“And did he act alone? Were any more complicit?”
Descendents, “Spineless and Scarlet Red”:
“Both found complicit in this mess we’ve made.”
Bear Hands, “Peacekeeper”:
“And if you wanted to find a witness/Well the whole city is complicit.”
Silent Planet, “XX (City Grave)”:
“Apathy was our anchor to a digital sea where you drown in the comfort of our complicity.”
Meshuggah, “Dancers to a Discordant System”:
“The deadly fumes of deceit/And we all reek of complicity.”
Polaris, “Voiceless”:
“Complicit and contained/You’ve lost your way.”
Pinback, “Sediment”:
“There is the danger of complicity.”
Deftones, “Savory” (Jawbox cover):
“Protect your complicity.”
