Word of the Day: palpable
New York Times
Last updated: May 11, 2026
The article examines the frequent use of the word "palpable" in New York Times articles over the past year, noting its appearance in a Headway newsletter discussing historically low murder rates. The author questions the necessity and impact of such word choices in journalism.
- The word "palpable" has been used 296 times on NYTimes.com in the last year.
- Its recent appearance was in the April 1 Headway newsletter, within an article questioning the reasons behind historically low murder rates.
- The author suggests that the overuse of "palpable" might be a stylistic choice that doesn't necessarily add depth or clarity to the reporting.
- The piece implies a potential trend in journalistic writing towards emphasizing a heightened sense of something, even when a simpler description might suffice.
- The focus is on the linguistic habits of a major news outlet and their effect on conveying information to the reader.
- The article doesn't delve into specific political, social, or economic analyses beyond the mention of murder rates in the newsletter example.
- The overall sentiment is a critical observation of word usage in contemporary journalism.
