Reflecting on the complexity of what lies ahead, the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s Department of English selected “future” as its 2024 Word of the Year for Hawaii.

“‘Future’ is neither clearly positive nor negative. It's something we might want and something we might fear. It's something at risk, so it's something we have to protect,” said John David Zuern, UH Manoa Department of English chair and professor, in a release.

“Crucially, it’s something we have to imagine, and as students and teachers in the arts and humanities, we believe that nurturing the imagination is essential to safeguarding a livable future for ourselves and for those who come after us,” Zuern said.

UH Manoa Department of English undergraduate students in the English Majors Association came up with the word this year, and the Department of English Executive Committee approved it.

“We felt that at this moment in our country’s history, it would be best to listen to how our students, many of whom are young people, are encapsulating their experiences and aspirations in words,” Zuern said.

Other words under consideration were “solidarity,” “community,” “hope,” “nightmare,” and “dystopian.”

On Dec. 9, Merriam-Webster announced its 2024 Word of the Year as “polarization.”