The term "rabid" has two definitions in the Oxford Dictionary: "Having or proceeding from an extreme or fanatical support of or belief in something" and "(Of an animal) affected with rabies." The example they give for the first definition is "a rabid feminist." Not the most flattering term to pair with feminism.
Anthropologist Michael Oman-Reagan explained in a blog post on Medium.com that this is particularly problematic because, "This is default dictionary on Apple's Mac OS X operating system. Anyone using a Mac, an iPad, or iPhone will get definitions from this dictionary."
Oman-Reagan called out Oxford for this choice on Twitter last week:
Oxford then got a little snarky in response:
If only there were a word to describe how strongly you felt about feminism… https://t.co/mAsmjUBoOsJanuary 22, 2016
Btw, 'rabid' isn't always negative, and our example sentences come from real-world use and aren't definitions: https://t.co/npaVgBahOMJanuary 22, 2016
But then backtracked, saying that they'll review their use of the phrase.
1/4 We were flippant in some of our tweets yesterday. Sorry.January 23, 2016
2/4 'rabid fan' now has the highest frequency in the Oxford Corpus & 'rabid supporter' also frequent.January 23, 2016
3/4 We'll review the primary example sentence used for 'rabid'.January 23, 2016
4/4 You can find out more about where our example sentences come from here: https://t.co/KotzmcYiaUJanuary 23, 2016
A spokesperson then clarified to The Daily Dot saying, "We apologize for the offense that these comments caused. The example sentences we use are taken from a huge variety of different sources and do not represent the views or opinions of Oxford University Press. That said, we are now reviewing the example sentence for 'rabid' to ensure that it reflects current usage."
Follow Marie Claire on Instagram for the latest celeb news, pretty pics, funny stuff, and an insider POV.
-
Celebrate Earth Month With Our Feel-Good Fashion ReportYour guide to being more sustainable in 2024.
-
Anne Hathaway Details the "Gross" Audition Request She Once Endured"Now we know better."
-
The Emotional Ending of 'Baby Reindeer,' ExplainedNetflix's latest miniseries from Richard Gadd is based on the true story of the comedian and his stalker.
-
36 Ways Women Still Aren't Equal to MenIt's just one of the many ways women still aren't equal to men.
-
EMILY's List President Laphonza Butler Has Big Plans for the OrganizationUnder Butler's leadership, the largest resource for women in politics aims to expand Black political power and become more accessible for candidates across the nation.
-
Want to Fight for Abortion Rights in Texas? Raise Your Voice to State LegislatorsEmily Cain, executive director of EMILY's List and and former Minority Leader in Maine, says that to stop the assault on reproductive rights, we need to start demanding more from our state legislatures.
-
Your Abortion Questions, AnsweredHere, MC debunks common abortion myths you may be increasingly hearing since Texas' near-total abortion ban went into effect.
-
The Future of Afghan Women and Girls Depends on What We Do NextBetween the U.S. occupation and the Taliban, supporting resettlement for Afghan women and vulnerable individuals is long overdue.
-
How to Help Afghanistan Refugees and Those Who Need AidWith the situation rapidly evolving, organizations are desperate for help.
-
It’s Time to Give Domestic Workers the Protections They DeserveThe National Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, reintroduced today, would establish a new set of standards for the people who work in our homes and take a vital step towards racial and gender equity.
-
The Biden Administration Announced It Will Remove the Hyde AmendmentThe pledge was just one of many gender equity commitments made by the administration, including the creation of the first U.S. National Action Plan on Gender-Based Violence.
