NEW YORK, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of thousands of revelers poured into Times Square on Tuesday night to participate in century-old celebrations of New Year's Eve despite rains, inconvenience from tightened security measures and hours of waiting.

Polarization, which was chosen as the word of 2024 by the U.S. dictionary Merriam-Webster, easily found resonance among people in celebration of the New Year in Times Square. As people bid farewell to the year of 2024, they also wished the same for polarization.

Polarization means a very specific kind of division, according to Peter Sokolowski, Merriam-Webster's editor at large.

"Polarization means that we are tending toward the extremes rather than toward the center," said Sokolowski.

In particular, the fierce attacks and division along partisan and ideological lines in the presidential election left voters deeply divided.

The chasm between two major U.S. political parties is most evident in the discourse surrounding economy, women's health and immigration, according to Yndira Marin, chief operating officer with U.S. operations of LLYC, a global marketing and corporate affairs consulting firm.

"Today's current political divide has escalated into a divisive force that threatens to erode the (U.S.) social fabric," said Marin in a recent piece.

These differences regarding governance and national identity are changing how Americans see their neighbors, their institutions, and the legitimacy of the democratic process, Marin added.

Sellay Sadeq, a visitor from Los Angeles, said she didn't like politics so much and didn't get affected by polarization so much.

"I do hope people could be more peaceful next year, especially like in Los Angeles," when they get a result of election they don't like so much, Sadeq said.

The media played a role in polarization of society, according to Ken Wu, a Chinese American who studies at a university in New York City.

"I do agree that people have conflicting thoughts, and that a lot of people are on opposite sides. But honestly, I feel that the media is sort of exaggerating this," said Wu.

A lot of people aren't really polarized, but the media makes it, Wu said, adding that when the media categorizes people into two different sides leaving no room for people in the middle, it's really dangerous.

However, Wu said he was not really impacted by politics as he saw himself as neutral.

Alieen Breadley, a designer from Brooklyn of New York City, expressed her disappointment in the presidential election in 2024 and pessimism about the outlook for the year ahead.

The election results will make the polarization worse, according to Breadley, a democrat.

"Imagine how polarized the country will be when our president talks about extremes? This of course affects each of us individually. Our democracy is being harmed. So I think the next four years would be worse," Breadley said.

Traditional holidays and celebrations like the New Year celebrations in Times Square could provide an opportunity for healing and reflection.

Wu told Xinhua his wish for the New Year is to stay healthy, hopefully keeping a habit of going to the gym.

Wu said he was not sure if polarization would ease in 2025, but he hoped that "people understand that division arises when ideologies are forced upon them and they are labeled as belonging to one side or the other." ■