According to Merriam-Webster, searches for the term have jumped since Election Night. 

If you don't know what it means, we'll save you the click: Fascism is "a political philosophy, movement or regime ... that exalts national and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation and forcible suppression of opposition."

"The word has consistently been at or near the top of the list of words being looked up in real time," the reference company said in an article on its website Monday. Compared to 2015, searches for fascism are up 400 percent this year.

Other popular terms? Bigot, xenophobe, racism, socialism, resurgence, xenophobia and misogyny, Merriam-Webster reports.

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Julian Conley listens during opening statements in his trial at Fulton County Superior Court in Atlanta on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. The 25-year-old is accused of fatally shooting 8-year-old Secoriea Turner in July 2020. (Abbey Cutrer/AJC)

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com