Merriam-Webster’s 2025 Word of the Year is “slop.” Once a term for mud or low-value junk, “slop” has taken on a new meaning in the AI era: low-quality digital content churned out at scale by generative artificial intelligence. According to Merriam-Webster, the spike in searches for thew word reflects growing public awareness — and fatigue — with AI-generated nonsense, and a renewed desire for content that’s genuine and human.