This year saw 10 new Dutch words battle it out to be named the Netherlands’ word of the year, but of course, there could be only one winner. Receiving around a quarter of the vote, klimaatklever (“climate sticker”) has been crowned the 2022 word of the year in the Netherlands!
Every year since 2007, the Dikke van Dale dictionary sets out to find the Netherlands’ word of the year. In order to be nominated for the title, words are submitted by members of the public - but the words must have originated in 2022.
The past two years have seen many of the nominated words relate to the coronavirus pandemic, with prikspijt winning the award in 2021, and anderhalvemetersamenleving taking home the title in 2020. However, this year - perhaps unsurprisingly - none of the 10 nominees were so-called "corona words".
Voting closed on December 19, with almost 15.000 people turning to the Dikke van Dale website to cast their votes this year. On Tuesday morning, the editor-in-chief of Dikke van Dale, Ton den Boon, announced klimaatklever as the 2022 word of the year, after it won 25,4 percent of the vote.
The word - which directly translates to “climate sticker” - refers to the many climate protesters who this year clung to or stuck themselves to a symbolic or valuable object, such as Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers, in order to draw attention to climate issues.
Klimaatklever faced some interesting and diverse competition this year - these are all the Dutch words that were nominated for word of the year in 2022.
Zevenvinker came in second place with 22 percent of the vote, with energietoerisme rounding out the top three after receiving 12 percent of the vote.