Prikspijt, a new word for regretting getting a vaccination, has been voted Dutch word of the year after a social media campaign, reports dictionary maker Van Dale.

The word had 82.2% of almost 49,000 votes cast, followed by woonprotest (protests about the Dutch housing crisis) and wappiegeluid (a derogatory term applied to coronavirus conspiracy theorists).

Van Dale defines prikspijt as ‘a feeling of regret someone has about having been vaccinated against any infectious disease,’

Ton den Boon, editor in chief at Dikke van Dale, told NOS Radio 1 Journaal, that the vote was driven by a Twitter campaign, and that it ‘mirrors the polarisation in society around the vaccination and booster shots’.

Other words that were in the shortlist included the vacuum left by lack of contact, (intimiteitsvacuüm), feeling like you are stuck in your cave after lockdowns (grotsyndroom) and prikpolarisatie, the social division caused by debates about vaccination.

Belgium, meanwhile, voted for the far more uplifting knaldrang, the desire to party once again.

Read more about the shortlist