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2011: The Year in Words

Defining Moments: In politics, culture, sports and more, these words spiked in lookups because of events in the news.

January 8: "Vitriol"

After the shooting of Representative Gabrielle Giffords...

January 13: "Tawdry"

When Sting used the word to describe his passionate...

January 22: "Mercurial"

After Keith Olbermann suddenly announced...

February 1: "Inclement"

As a major snowstorm approached the midwest and northeast U.S....

February 7: "Rampart"

Before the Super Bowl, Christina Aguilera sang the national anthem...

February 8: "Caliphate"

After Glenn Beck used it to speculate on the outcome of...

February 22: "Martyr"

When Muammar el-Qaddafi reacted to the Libyan uprising...

February 25: "Charlatan"

After Charlie Sheen called a radio show to offer his opinions...

March 14: "Disposition"

As a pop song gained new exposure in other forms...

March 11: "Prefecture"

Reports on the disasters in Japan focused on...

March 19: "Perigee"

When a full moon occurs in close orbit...

March 31: "Insidious"

As publicity increased for a new horror film...

April 6: "Furlough"

With the prospect of a federal government shutdown...

April 12: "Consubstantial"

As a controversy emerged over a prayer of the Mass...

April 15: "Ersatz"

When a Statue of Liberty's Las Vegas origins were revealed...

April 26: "Hegemony"

After the Chinese Premiere described his nation's outlook...

May 2: "Martyr"

Bin Laden's death raised questions about how radicalized Muslims...

May 10: "Amicable"

After a high-profile couple announced their separation...

May 16: "Godspeed"

During the final mission of the Space Shuttle Endeavour...

May 21: "Rapture"

When the end of the world did not take place...

May 31: "Carcinogenic"

After a report about possible dangers of cell phone use...

June 6: "Lewd"

During the scandal involving Congressman Weiner...

June 13: "Schadenfreude"

After the Dallas Mavericks won the NBA championship...

June 23: "Indubitably"

When a contestant on "So You Think You Can Dance"...

June 25: "Marriage"

After New York State legalized same-sex marriage...

July 6: "Haboob"

When a massive dust storm rolled through Phoenix...

July 11: "Sartorial"

During the British royal couple's visit to North America...

July 15: "Chutzpah"

After Congresswoman Michele Bachmann used the word...

July 28: "Ignominious"

After Alex Trebek chased after a thief in the night...

August 3: "Balaclava"

After reports of a hoax involving a "collar bomb"...

August 10: "Anarchy"

Because of the riots in London and other UK cities...

August 15: "Coddle"

When Warren Buffett published a piece about taxing the super-rich...

August 23: "Temblor"

After an earthquake rattled the East Coast of the U.S....

August 26: "Batten"

As Hurricane Irene approached the U.S. coast...

September 6: "Loathe"

After Madonna ungraciously received a gift of flowers from a fan...

September 15: "Culture"

Students arriving at college were greeted, as usual, with...

September 20: "Clemency"

When Georgia's pardon and parole board "denied clemency"...

September 27: "Champion"

After a hockey player celebrated a Stanley Cup victory...

October 6: "Mercurial"

With the passing of Steve Jobs, a man known for...

October 11: "Oblique"

After two baseball players injured theirs during the playoffs...

October 17: "Manslaughter"

When the trial of Michael Jackson's doctor resumed...

October 21: "Pariah"

Many obituaries for Libyan leader Muammar el-Qaddafi...

November 1: "Referendum"

When Greece announced a surprise decision to hold...

November 5: "Curmudgeon"

With the passing of "60 Minutes" commentator Andy Rooney...

November 15: "Smarmy"

In a new book about the Casey Anthony trial, a prosecutor...

November 21: "Après moi le déluge"

When a commentator used it to critique Washington's politics...

November 30: "Disburse"

When Europe unlocked frozen bailout money...

December 7: "Blasphemy"

After a Saudi Court sentenced a man to 500 lashes for...

December 14: "Zany"

Mitt Romney used it while commenting about Newt Gingrich...

December 21: "Yuletide"

A Christmas word that wasn't always about Christmas...

December 27: "Qi"

Perhaps because of Scrabble and Words With Friends...