Lisbon, Dec. 17, 2025 (Lusa) - Sacar (to withdraw) was the most searched word in the Priberam online dictionary in 2025, without any direct connection to any significant event. Still, many others that reflected current national and international affairs, such as indostânicos (Hindustani) or remissão (remission), were also prominent.
‘The political crisis in Portugal, triggered by a “moção" (motion) that led to the resignation of the government and legislative elections, or the “ceasefire” in Gaza, a city devastated by “malnutrition” that prompted a humanitarian aid “flotilla”, are some of the events this year that influenced searches on Priberam’ and led to the selection of 24 words, made with Agência Lusa, which for the ninth consecutive year joined Priberam to select the most searched words that illustrate the year that is coming to an end, the two entities explain in a statement.
The 24 words (two for each month) that defined the year are available on the website oanoempalavras.pt, each illustrated with photographs and news from Lusa about the event in question, and presented in chronological order, from January to December, allowing direct access to the meaning of each word in the Priberam Dictionary and to the Lusa article about the news that prompted the searches.
"Words, or sometimes just one, are also a way of looking back at the year that is ending. The association is instantaneous and clear. Pantheon reminds us of Eça, the fall of the government and the elections, the conclave of the new Pope, the derailment of the Glória funicular, the ceasefire of the war in Gaza and even an unusual hernia reminds us of a serious problem of state: the president's health. We went through all this, and now the year is here, condensed into 24 words, over 24 magnificent photographs, the best that Lusa has to offer. It is a successful partnership - that of words, photos, and Lusa with Priberam," said Lusa's editor-in-chief director, Luísa Meireles.
Carlos Amaral, government director of Priberam, commented that this project ‘shows how language keeps up with current events’ and that, with "the collaboration of Lusa, in terms of the quality of the news texts and images, searches in the Priberam Dictionary gain context, allowing us to identify trends, concerns and curiosities that mark each year‘ and offering ’a different way of reviewing the year in the world around us".
According to the promoters of the initiative, the Year in Words 2025 offers ‘a plural view of the year, crossing politics, diplomacy, culture, art, sport, science, the environment and social issues, composing an accessible lexical, photographic and news portrait’.
Scut and Pantheon were the words that marked January, a month in which the public agenda was marked by the end of tolls on SCUT motorways and the transfer of Eça de Queirós to the National Pantheon.
The words that characterised February were rare earths and black smoke, due to the start of talks between Ukraine and the United States on the subject, and FC Porto's tribute to former president Pinto da Costa, who died at 87.
March was defined by the words "tariffs" and "motion," due to Donald Trump's imposition of increased import tariffs and the fall of the Portuguese government after the rejection of a motion of confidence.
In April, the Vatican announced a conclave to elect Pope Francis' successor, and a blackout left the Iberian Peninsula without electricity for several hours, which made conclave and blackout the most searched terms.
The words for May were convulsions and labyrinthitis, referring to the convulsions captured by Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado, who died at the age of 81, and the labyrinthitis of Brazilian President Lula da Silva.
In June, the words chosen were “selfie” and “atrocity”, due to the incident involving a tourist who damaged an 18th-century painting while trying to take a selfie in Italy, and the UN's criticism of the criteria applied to crimes of atrocity.
July was a month marked by the words jota and talude, following the accident that killed footballers Diogo Jota and André Silva and the demolition of shacks in the Talude Militar neighbourhood, which had a strong national impact.
In August, worsening malnutrition in Gaza and arson responsible for fires in Portugal dominated humanitarian and environmental concerns, dictating the choice of the words malnutrition and arson.
The tragic derailment of the Glória funicular and the actions of the Global Sumud flotilla made derailment and flotilla the words of the month in September.
The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas and the passing of the law banning the burqa in public spaces made ceasefire and burqa the words of October.
November was the month of the terms temperance and bamboo, after Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa evoked temperance on the 50th anniversary of 25 November, and a fire in Hong Kong demonstrated the risks of bamboo scaffolding.
Finally, December was marked by hernia and default, due to the news of Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa's incarcerated hernia, as well as the conviction in absentia in Iran of the Cannes 2025 award-winning filmmaker Jafar Panahi.
Other searches that were prominent in 2025 in Priberam, and which reflect current events, include Hindustani, remission (of the Princess of Wales' cancer), pneumonia (of Pope Francis), brutalist and napa (regarding the Oscars and the Song Festival), verification (on social media), double win (Sporting in the Portuguese league and cup), reprivatisation (of TAP), hamburger and moderate (episodes in national politics), super typhoon (in Asia), dismissed (comedian sued for sketch was acquitted), mega-operation (by the Rio de Janeiro police against an organised crime group), deaflympic (Portugal won three gold medals, two silver medals and one bronze medal at the Deaflympics), hourly (hourly paid doctors and the National Health Service) and general strike.
According to the organisers' statement, the Priberam Dictionary has incorporated nearly 5,000 new words and phrases, more than 6,000 synonyms and 300 antonyms, now totalling more than 172,300 entries and more than 279,300 definitions.
Brazil and Portugal continue to be the top countries on the list of search origins, with China and Singapore now occupying 3rd and 4th place, ahead of Angola and Mozambique.
Mobile devices, particularly those running Android, accounted for the most accesses.
AL/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
