According to Merriam-Webster, "Based upon a statistical analysis of words that are looked up in extremely high numbers in our online dictionary while also showing a significant year-over-year increase in traffic, Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year for 2020 is pandemic."

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For more on how Merriam-Webster made this determination, check out:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/word-of-the-year/pandemic