On December 14th, Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary announced its word of the year would be Slop, squeaking out other contenders such as  6-7, Conclave, and Tariffs. The expression that originated in the 1700s to describe mud has evolved in modern times to describe something of mediocre to poor quality, particularly something of poor quality made by AI. This definition is far from new, as it has been used since at least 2023 as internet slang. 

It has become more prevalent than ever in 2025. With rapid advancements in AI technology, it has become easier than ever to create something on the Internet entirely with AI. 

This has led to a flood of extremely realistic AI videos flooding the internet, many of which are perceived as of bad quality by the general public. On top of AI slop, a lot of entertainment on the internet and beyond has been classified as slop. Most prominently, many Hollywood and video game companies have been accused of making slop. Some of the Hollywood films this year labeled slop were Snow White( live action remake), War of the Worlds (2025 adaption), and Captain America: Brave New World. Video games accused of being slop this year are Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Madden 26, and Civilization VII. 

Many Youtubers and Tickoters have been accused of being “sloptubers,” such as many members in the drama community on YouTube. 

In short, slop has become synonymous with anything of poor creativity and bankrupt quality, which with the rise of AI technology and the entertainment industry’s persistence to recycle ideas has made the word very relevant in the modern day.