Today Show weatherman Al Roker wasn't laughing at the laughing emoji was announced as the Oxford Dictionaries word of the year on the show this morning.

"That's ridiculous!" he cried as the news bulletin was reported.

"For the first time ever, the Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year is a pictograph," the organization announced on its blog. "Officially called the 'Face with Tears of Joy' emoji, you may know it by other names."

The laughing/crying image "was chosen as the ‘word’ that best reflected the ethos, mood, and preoccupations of 2015," Oxford Dictionaries said in its blog.

"This year Oxford University Press have partnered with leading mobile technology business

to explore frequency and usage statistics for some of the most popular emoji across the world, and

😂
icon to expand image

was chosen because it was the most used emoji globally in 2015," the post explained.

Roker seemed irritated that the word of the year isn't actually, you know, a word.

"It's official," he groused. "We're all idiots!"

About the Author

Featured

Helen Gilbert places flowers on her brother Eurie Martin’s grave at Camp Spring Baptist Church in Sandersville. Her brother died eight years ago. Three former Washington County deputies are accused of causing his death and are set to stand trial Monday. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez