Fact check: Merriam-Webster revised anti-vaxxer definition by one word
fact-checking

Fact check: Claim on new Merriam-Webster definition of 'anti-vaxxer' is partly false

The claim: Merriam-Webster changed the definition of 'anti-vaxxer' 

The claim that Merriam-Webster changed the definition of "anti-vaxxer" is making rounds on social media.

"I wasn't an anti-vaxxer until they literally changed the definition," reads the text of a Facebook post shared Dec. 6

Below the tweet is a screenshot of Merriam Webster's website with an "anti-vaxxer" definition that reads: "a person who opposes vaccination or laws that mandate vaccination." The poster underlined the latter half of the definition in red.

"This new change makes anyone who believes in biological control of your own body into an anti-vaxxer," reads the caption of the post.

The post generated close to 700  interactions in less than four weeks. 

But like earlier posts about the Meriam-Webster definition of "vaccine," this claim is off the mark. 

Merriam-Webster did revise the definition of "anti-vaxxer" in early October to change one word, but the version shown in the post is the old version. The screenshot in the social media posts shows Merriam-Webster's original definition of anti-vaxxer, which was implemented in 2018.

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USA TODAY reached out to social media users who shared the post for comment.

Main definition was revised from 'laws' to 'regulations'

Peter Sokolowski, editor at large for Merriam-Webster, told USA TODAY in an email that the definition of "anti-vaxxer" was added to the online dictionary on Feb. 28, 2018.

The latest update changed how it references vaccine mandates.

According to an archived version of the dictionary's website, Merriam-Webster formerly said an "anti-vaxxer" was a "person who opposes vaccination or laws that mandate vaccination."

That was revised on Oct. 4 to read, "a person who opposes the use of vaccines or regulations mandating vaccination."

"The reason for the change from 'laws' to 'regulations' is that overwhelming citational evidence shows that this term is used regarding vaccine policies for school districts, restaurants, concert venues and bars, and that many of these policies are not laws," Sokolowski said.

In addition to the wording change in the main definition, Meriam-Webster made two other additions.

The first was the inclusion of "especially a parent who opposes having his or her child vaccinated" after the main definition.

"(The use of the word 'especially' is) to reflect an increasingly prominent use of the word to refer to a parent opposed to vaccination of a child," Sokolowski said.

Fact check: Missing context in claim that Merriam-Webster changed 'vaccine' definition

Second, the usage note "often used before another noun" was added to show how the term is used in references to anti-vaxxer sentiment or anti-vaxxer parents, according to Sokolowski.

Laws vs. regulations 

Laws are passed by Congress or state legislatures and then signed by the president or governor, whereas regulations are a broader category that includes executive orders and rules handed down by officials or agencies authorized to make them, according to Jennifer Laudano, senior director of communications at the National Academy for State Health Policy.

"(Merriam-Webster's change) is really a technical change, though, since executive orders and regulations are enforceable the same as laws," Laudano told USA TODAY via email.

Lindsay Wiley, director of the health law and policy program at American University, confirmed that regulations generally have the force of law.

"Many experts, myself included, consider both statutes and regulations to fall under the general label 'laws,' Wiley told USA TODAY via email.

Vaccination requirements typically involve a combination of a statute adopted by the legislature and one or more regulations adopted by an administrative  agency to implement that statute, according to Wiley. 

"If the state agency adds COVID-19 to the list of required vaccines, that’s a regulation implementing a statute," Wiley said.

Our rating: Partly false

Based on our research, we rate PARTLY FALSE the claim that Merriam-Webster changed the definition of "anti-vaxxer." Merriam-Webster revised the definition of "anti-vaxxer" in early October to change "laws" to "regulations." But that's not what is shown in the social media post. The screenshot of the definition is Merriam-Webster's original definition of "anti-vaxxe,r" which was implemented in 2018. 

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