1. integrity
Rounding out the Top Ten:
2. refugee
3. contempt
4. filibuster
5. insipid
6. tsunami
7. pandemic
8. conclave
9. levee
10. inept
"Integrity" resonated with me a bunch this past year, as some of you know. I know someone for whom "contempt" has had a lot of significance, too. #5 and #10, no doubt, had to do with someone whose cronies neglected the #9s and tried to end the right of the opposition to #4.