First time ever: Oxford Dictionaries select 'tears of joy' emoji as 'word' of the year!

New Delhi: Surprised? Well, yes for the first time ever, the Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year is not a 'word' but a digital pictograph, officially called the ‘Face with Tears of Joy’ emoji.

The reason behind selecting this emoji was that it was the most frequently used emoji this year and it best reflected the ethos, mood, and preoccupations of 2015. And they have an excellent explanation for that in this graph.

“Emojis are no longer the preserve of texting teens,” Oxford Dictionaries wrote in its post.” Instead, they have been embraced as a nuanced form of expression, and one which can cross language barriers.”