How to use the word of the year 2021

And the Cambridge Dictionary Word of the Year is...

May I have the envelope, please?

Hey, everyone.

Today I have a more-than-special video for you.

2021 is coming to its end and that means it’s time to reveal the

Cambridge Dictionary Word of the Year.

2021 has been an eventful year for everyone around the world.

From natural disasters to increased climate change

pressure to the ongoing disruption caused by the pandemic,

society has had a lot to deal with and work through this year.

For students, the impact of the pandemic

meant learning from home, away from the physical classroom.

So the Cambridge Dictionary’s 2021 Word

of the Year is...

Perseverance, defined as a continued effort to do or

achieve something even when this is difficult or takes a long time.

Perseverance was also a highly searched word

on Cambridge Dictionary in 2021 and saw a spike in searches in February of

this year when NASA’S Perseverance rover made its final descent to Mars.

Perseverance was picked as the word of the year not only

because of the high numbers of searches but because this

word captures the persistent will to never give up despite the challenges

that 2021 presented to us all.

Along with perseverance, there are many words in English

to describe continued effort to do or achieve something even

when it’s difficult or takes a long time.

The Cambridge team have created a word list

in Cambridge Dictionary Plus that includes key vocabulary

used when talking about being determined in English.

Let’s take a look at some examples. Hi, there.

It’s time for another perseverance interview.

I’m here with Rebecca Rios, a working mom from Brazil.

Rebecca, what was 2021 like for you?

Well, I can’t say it has been easy, but I guess I’ve been pretty tough

through all of the challenges I faced.

We use the word tough to talk about a person who is able to

deal with difficult situations and not

be easily defeated, frightened, or upset.

Really?

What kind of difficulties have you faced?

Well, in the beginning of the year I struggled a lot,

having to work from home and having the girls with

me all the time.

The verb to struggle means to experience difficulty and make

a very great effort in order to do something.

Wow.

I can imagine how difficult that must have been for you.

Indeed it was, but I guess being a mom and a teacher

has given me, over the years, the resilience and stamina

necessary to survive this chaos.

The word resilience is the ability to be happy or

successful again after something difficult or

bad has happened and stamina means the physical and/or mental

strength to do something that might be difficult and will take a long time.

Well, this is extraordinary.

It sounds like you not only passed through the situation,

but you strived through it.

The verb to strive means to try very hard to do something

or make something happen, especially for a long time

or against difficulties.

Well, I have learned many lessons, but the most important of all is,

you’ve got to persist and have determination

in order to overcome difficulties.

And we’ve learned many lessons as a family on how to do that.

Similar to perseverance, the verb to persist is to try

to do or continue doing something in a determined

but often unreasonable way.

Determination is a noun which means the ability

to continue trying to do something although it is very difficult to do.

Thank you for being with us here today, Rebecca,

and sharing your inspirational story.

We hope you have an easier 2022. Back to you.

All of these words and more are on the Cambridge Dictionary Plus word

list for the word of the year and you can find the link in the description

of the video below.

Something that’s very interesting about word lists on

the Cambridge Dictionary Plus is that there are already a bunch

of them you can find by English level or topic such as this one.

You can even create your own lists.

Later you can download them and even have exercises to practice the new

vocabulary you’ve learned with the Test Yourself feature.

And you know what they say, practice makes perfect,

and to really learn vocabulary, you’ve got to use it.

So how have you persevered in 2021?

Let us know in the comments below and make sure to take

a look at the word list on Cambridge Dictionary Plus

to grow your vocabulary.

It’s linked in the description box below.

If you enjoyed this video, please give it a big like and

send it to your friends and family who have also persisted this year.

I’ll see you soon. Bye.