Some 43% of the Dutch respondents voted for the word to disappear as quickly as possible, ahead of 'in je kracht staan (to be in your power)' and 'papadag (day off for dads)'. Among Flemish voters, the expression 'ik heb zoiets van (I'm like)' raised most hackles. Some 2,300 people participated in the poll.
One reason 'Genderneutraal' was chosen was the use of the English word 'gender' - the word should be 'geslachtsneutraal', one commenter wrote.
People are also annoyed by the implications of the word: 'Another hype!' wrote another commenter while a third opined there is no such thing as gender neutrality because 'you're either male or female'. Last year's most annoying word was 'diervriendelijk' - or animal friendly.
Comment: One wonders just how many more people in other countries want 'gender neutral' to disappear as quickly as possible. It's probably likely that a lot of Westerners resent being forced to alter their language, and their behavior, by a small vocal minority: