by MK
interviews: Nina Vaclavikova
In a year defined by war, political volatility and economic unease, Italy’s most authoritative language institute has chosen a quietly resolute word to sum up the national mood. Fiducia — “trust” — was named 2025’s Word of the Year by the Treccani Institute, the country’s foremost publisher of dictionaries and encyclopedias.
The term comes from the Latin fides (faith) and fidelitas (faithfulness). Treccani defines it as “the attitude of calm security that arises from a positive evaluation of a person or a group of people, toward others or toward oneself.” It is a definition that places emotional steadiness and relational confidence at the center of public life.
On Treccani’s website, the institute acknowledged that the choice might seem counterintuitive at a time when global events have eroded confidence in institutions and in the future itself. Yet, it argued, that is precisely why fiducia matters. In a year marked by geopolitical and social uncertainty, the institute wrote, the word represents “an essential response to the widespread need to look to the future with positive expectations,” rooted in the strength of human relationships and in the bonds between citizens and the institutions meant to serve them.
The selection was not only symbolic. Fiducia was also one of the most searched terms on Treccani’s website in 2025, particularly among younger Italians. Facing a world shaped by conflict, humanitarian crises and economic precarity, many appeared to be seeking language that could articulate both vulnerability and hope. In another statement, Treccani described fiducia as “a fragile yet necessary word today,” especially for young people who feel the need to believe in someone or something without constant fear of disappointment.
To explore how that idea resonates beyond dictionaries and websites, we also spoke with people on the streets of downtown Trieste, asking passersby what single word they felt best captured 2025. Their answers ranged from cautious optimism to open-ended uncertainty, reflecting both personal hopes and broader anxieties about the future — a small, informal snapshot of how language continues to serve as a mirror of everyday experience.
The annual choice is part of Treccani’s broader “Word of the Year” initiative, itself a pillar of the institute’s #leparolevalgono — “Words Matter” — campaign, which promotes a more mindful and conscious use of Italian. Founded in 1925 by Giovanni Treccani and the philosopher Giovanni Gentile, the institute has spent a century shaping Italy’s modern lexicon, cataloging new expressions and preserving the everyday language that reflects how Italians live and think.
