In 2023, Merriam-Webster named ‘authenticity’ as the word of the year. This was perhaps unsurprising given the seeming prevalence of the word across media. Coincidentally, this was the year that the annual Association of Adaptation Studies Conference, held at the University of Birmingham, had decided on the theme of authenticity. As the person organising the event, I can say that the theme was chosen as it was one that spoke to broader debates within the field, but also echoed key flashpoints in cultural conversations. Interest in authenticity as a concept arguably spiked around 2023, leading to it being a word of the year, but it has continued to be a term used across culture.