Merriam-Webster dictionary updates 'sexual preference' entry after Amy Coney Barrett hearing
"Merriam-Webster, the noted reference book and dictionary publisher, added the word "offensive" to its entry and usage guidance of "preference" and "sexual preference" when referring to sexual orientation after the issue came up during Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Judge Amy Coney Barrett.
Some conservative Twitter users were quick to note the dictionary change, and a search in the Wayback Machine, a website that archives Internet webpages, shows that as recently as late September the definition of "preference" in regard to sexual orientation did not have the word "offensive" attached to it.
The dictionary is continually revised and updated, and Merriam-Webster makes scheduled changes several times a year to add or update words and their definitions and uses, Peter Sokolowski, the dictionary's editor at large, said in a statement.
"From time to time, we release one or some of these scheduled changes early when a word or set of words is getting extra attention, and it would seem timely to share that update," Sokolowski said."
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