LONDON, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- Oxford Dictionaries announced that it has chosen "toxic" as its annual "Word of the Year", British media reported Friday.

In this file photo taken on March 08, 2018 members of the emergency services in green biohazard encapsulated suits work to afix the tent over the bench where former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found on March 4 in critical condition at The Maltings shopping centre in Salisbury, southern England, after the tent became detached. (Photo: VCG)

Defining the word as "poisonous", Oxford said it had become a "descriptor for the year's most talked about topics", citing the adjective's use to describe everything from the debate around Brexit to the environment and masculinity.

The dictionary pointed to a 45 percent rise in the number of times the word has been looked up on its website, and said it best captured "the ethos, mood, or preoccupations" of 2018, thanks to "the sheer scope" of its application.

"Toxic" has defeated other shortlisted words, such as the derogatory term "gammon", to become the word of the year, according to the dictionary.

Oxford Dictionaries said that the "Me Too" movement has "put the spotlight on toxic masculinity" whereas in politics more broadly "the word has been applied to the rhetoric, policies, agendas and legacies of leaders and governments around the globe". 

Oxford's word of the year is intended to "reflect the passing year in language". In 2017, its Word of the Year was "youthquake", defined as "a significant cultural, political, or social change arising from the actions or influence of young people".