As the word “coronavirus” sweeps headlines across the globe, another word is also having a standout moment: amid.
Journalists and other members of the media have been using the word “amid” to describe events taking place during the pandemic, and some have become hyperaware of the fact that perhaps, they’ve used this word more times this month than they have in their entire lives.
“The word ‘amid’ is really getting a workout in headlines this week,” said writer R. Eric Thomas
User @KashFida posted a TikTok video of a young person circling the word amid in numerous headlines and posted the video on Twitter.
“If one more media outlet uses the word ‘amid’ in their headlines while talking about COVID-19 I might actually scream… how limited is our vocabulary?” noted @EnigmasRawr
Other writers spoke about the words they use in lieu of the word “amid.” Some notable contenders: “impacted,” “unprecedented,” and even “amidst.”
“Sometimes I toss in an ‘amidst’ to really feel alive,” joked writer Dayana Sarkisova
“How I love hittin em with an “unprecedented,” said ESPN writer Kelly Cohen.
“Our buzzword rn is “fluid situation,” tweeted writer @alexa_schnoor.
“And that’s why I always use impacted,” responded D’Arcy Maine.
Meanwhile, one user posed a suggestion for what the next big word of the moment will be.
“Waiting for ‘in the wake of’ to blow up next,” said @lauriewrites
As of Monday morning, the New York Times reports that there are at least 33,018 cases of COVID-19 in the United States, and at least 428 people have died.
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