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Cambridge Dictionary Names “Manifest” as 2024 Word of the Year. The word “manifest” has been named Cambridge Dictionary's word of the year for 2024 driven by its rising popularity on social media and its use by celebrities like Dua Lipa and Simone Biles. Lookups for “manifest” surged to nearly 130,000 on the Cambridge Dictionary website this year, fueled by its use in discussions about achieving personal success. In its modern sense, “to manifest” means to use methods such as visualization and affirmation to imagine achieving a goal, with the belief that doing so makes it more likely to happen. From early uses by Chaucer and Shakespeare to contemporary figures like Dua Lipa, who credits manifesting for headlining Glastonbury, the word’s meaning has evolved significantly. Manifest (verb): To use methods such as visualization and affirmation to help you imagine achieving something you want, in the belief that doing so will make it more likely to happen. Cambridge Dictionary’s publishing manager, Wendalyn Nichols, highlighted the word’s widening usage across media in 2024, showcasing how language adapts over time. Dr. Sander van der Linden, a social psychologist at Cambridge University, dismissed manifesting as “magical thinking,” lacking scientific evidence to support its effectiveness. Dr. van der Linden noted that while positive thinking and goal-setting have proven benefits, they differ significantly from the unsupported practice of manifesting. Popstar Dua Lipa publicly shared her belief in manifesting, attributing her Glastonbury headline performance this year to setting her sights on the goal early in life. “Manifest” follows Cambridge Dictionary's 2023 word of the year, “hallucinate,” reflecting ongoing trends in how language evolves to capture cultural moments.
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