“Manifest” has been selected as the Cambridge Dictionary’s word of the year for 2024.
Pop sensation Dua Lipa and globally recognized gymnast Simone Biles have publicly discussed how they have manifested their personal achievements in the contemporary understanding of the term.
The expression has gained popularity on social media, being searched nearly 130,000 times on the Cambridge Dictionary’s website this year.
Lexicographers noted that the phrase “to manifest” has transitioned to signify “to envision attaining a desire, with the belief that this will increase the likelihood of it happening”.
Wendalyn Nichols, the publishing manager of Cambridge Dictionary, commented that the application of manifest had “expanded significantly across various media types due to events in 2024, illustrating how the meanings of words can evolve over time”.
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However, despite its increasing acceptance, Dr. Sander van der Linden, a social psychology professor at Cambridge University, argued that the concept of achieving something through “manifestation” lacks scientific credibility.
He described it as what psychologists refer to as “magical thinking” or the “common misconception that particular mental rituals can influence the world around us”.
Dr. van der Linden further emphasized that while there is substantial research supporting the benefits of positive thinking and goal setting, this should not be conflated with the idea of manifesting.
Prominent figures like Dua Lipa have shared their experiences with manifestation. The artist mentioned she visualized headline performance at Glastonbury early in her career, achieving this ambition this summer.
Previously, the Cambridge word of the year was “hallucinate”.
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In what ways has the definition of manifest evolved over time?
The term manifest, derived from Latin and French roots, was initially utilized as an adjective that meant ‘easily perceivable or evident’ and was first noted in Geoffrey Chaucer’s writings in 1380 – “It is clear and manyfest that it is proper to the divine thought.”
Later, when Shakespeare incorporated the word in The Merchant Of Venice, it retained its adjectival form denoting ‘clearly demonstrated through signs or actions’.
He articulated: “For it appears, by manifest proceeding, that indirectly, and directly too, thou hast contrived against the very life of the defendant…”
By 1793, the term manifest had transitioned to being used as a noun to signify ‘an official record of individuals and goods aboard a vessel’.
Several decades later, the word manifest assumed a new form as a verb, meaning ‘to emerge’ – more akin to the present-day understanding – but specifically in reference to a ghost or spirit.
By the 20th century, its usage in The St Joseph Observer resembled the popular word that thrives on TikTok and other social media platforms today.
