Word of the Day – Hypernormalisation

Hypernormalisation (noun)

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The normalisation of a crumbling regime where the outlook is bleak, there is no ability to change course, so you keep living as though things are normal.

The concept originates from Russian anthropologist Alexei Yurchak’s book, “Everything was Forever Until it was No More,” which describes the Soviet Union’s final years before its collapse. In that context, hypernormalization referred to the public’s acceptance of a system they knew was failing.

Example sentences

“The hypernormalisation of the failing empire had begun.”