2025’s Most-Searched Definitions Include Words Like “Fascism” and “Democracy”

Every year, millions of Americans turn to Google for recipes, pop culture drama, and of course, definitions.

And in 2025, our collective vocab curiosity painted quite the picture. The most-searched definitions this year weren’t obscure terms. They were words that reveal what’s been on everyone’s mind: identity, emotion, and the state of the world.

The Top 10 Words We Needed Defined

According to data from WordsRated, “fascism” topped the list as the most-searched definition in the U.S. this year, with more than 182,000 searches per month (over 2.18 million total). That’s a hefty lead over the runner-up, “gaslighting” at 115,000 monthly searches.

The rest of the top 10 reads like a mix of political science, psychology, and English class flashcards:

Rank	Term	Average monthly searches	Annual searches
1	Fascism	182,000	2,184,000
2	Gaslighting	115,000	1,380,000
3	Narcissist	106,300	1,275,600
4	Empathy	97,400	1,168,800
5	Metaphor	90,000	1,080,000
6	Niche	81,000	972,000
7	Democracy	80,400	964,800
8	Agnostic	79,000	948,000
9	Hyperbole	72,000	864,000
10	Barm	70,000	840,000

That last one? “Barm” refers to the froth on fermenting beer or yeast… so apparently, a few bakers and brewers snuck into the data too.

What We’re Actually Searching for

When researchers grouped the 1,000 most-searched definitions by topic, two categories dominated: general vocabulary and psychology and personal traits. Together, those accounted for almost half of all definition searches. 30.9% fell under general vocabulary; everyday words people just wanted clarity on. 18.7% were psychology-related; terms like “narcissist,” “empathy,” or “gaslighting.”

The next biggest categories were literature and language, government and political systems, and science, though these made up much smaller shares overall. The rest (covering everything from law to religion to math) barely cracked single digits.

A Quick Note on “Fascism” and “Democracy”

The prominence of political terms stood out this year. Searches for “fascism” outpaced every other word by a wide margin, while “democracy” landed comfortably in the top 10 with about 80,400 monthly searches. That’s notable because political and government-related terms make up less than 8% of total definition searches.

According to WordsRated, the search query “fascism definition” has spiked multiple times in the past few years, usually connecting with noteworthy moments in U.S. politics:

Early November 2020
Early January 2021
Late August 2022
Early November 2024
Mid September 2025

Clearly, people wanted to double-check what these systems actually mean, a sign that civic curiosity (or confusion) is alive and well.

The Top 10 Words We Needed Defined

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What We’re Actually Searching for

A Quick Note on “Fascism” and “Democracy”