Tell us your most dreaded earworm — and call me, maybe

    The editors of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary have adopted “earworm” into the lexicon, along with about 100 others, for its annual update. Tell us your most dreaded earworm.

    The editors of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary have adopted “earworm” into the lexicon, along with about 100 others, for its annual update.

    The word is defined as “a song or melody that keeps repeating in one’s mind.” It goes beyond “catchy” — it’s more like an insidious virus holding up a tiny boombox inside your brain, playing the same song over and over and over.  (Thank you very much, Carly Rae Jepson.)

    Tell us your most dreaded earworm in the comments below.

    • WHYY thanks our sponsors — become a WHYY sponsor

    Are all earworms horrible, hateful things, even if the song is a good one?

    Like, when I mentioned Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” a couple of weeks ago, someone commented on Facebook that he’d have that song stuck in his head all day.

    Other additions include mashup, sexting, man cave, and f-bomb.

    WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.

    Want a digest of WHYY’s programs, events & stories? Sign up for our weekly newsletter.

    Together we can reach 100% of WHYY’s fiscal year goal