Merriam-Webster announced the addition of 370 new words and meanings to its iconic dictionary. Some of these new terms, like shrinkflation and metaverse, have recently been in the news; others, like yeet and janky, are more lighthearted. All have met the dictionary’s criteria by demonstrating sustained and widespread use. None of this, to cite another new entry, is sus: the English language is always changing and expanding, and the dictionary’s mandate is to chronicle it.
A number of the new words surged into use via social media. These include yeet, slang for “throw” and also “used to express surprise, approval, or excited enthusiasm;” sponcon, sponsored content that looks like a typical influencer post; and virtue signaling, something people may be accused of if they display their attentiveness to political or social issues instead of taking effective action.
The tech world brings us the futuristic metaverse, but also the earthy meatspace (“the physical world and environment especially as contrasted with the virtual world of cyberspace”) and the throwback dumbphone, a device lacking advanced features.
Business and economics provide the newly prominent shrinkflation (which occurs when a product’s amount or volume is reduced but not, alas, its price) and a pair of terms describing those who don’t save money in conventional ways because they are unbanked or underbanked.
If such words cause anxiety, some relief may be found in dawn chorus: “the singing of wild birds that closely precedes and follows sunrise especially in spring and summer.”
Food-related newcomers include that seasonal object of love and hate, pumpkin spice. Also new are omakase, referring to a series of sushi selections “according to the chef’s choice,” and mojo, a definition to savor: “a sauce, marinade, or seasoning that is usually composed primarily of olive oil, garlic, citrus juice, and spices (such as black pepper and cumin).”
Sus, slang for “suspicious” or “suspect,” joins other informal words including janky (“of very poor quality; junky”), and the gaming-fueled pwn—“to dominate and defeat (someone or something).” And television has made its impression too: Galentine’s Day, from Parks and Recreation, and the slang verb MacGyver (“to make, form, or repair something with what is conveniently on hand”), are both new entries.
Younger dictionary fans also get words to appreciate. The dictionary welcomes cootie catcher (“a child’s toy that consists of paper folded into four pyramid-shaped parts that are manipulated by the fingers to open and close with each part having a flap that can be unfolded to reveal an answer to one’s question about the future”), plushie (“a toy covered in plush fabric and filled with soft material”), and—cute alert!—hoglet, a British word for a baby hedgehog.
“Some of these words will amuse or inspire, others may provoke debate. Our job is to capture the language as it is used,” says Peter Sokolowski, Editor at Large for Merriam-Webster. “Words offer a window into our ever-changing language and culture, and are only added to the dictionary when there is clear and sustained evidence of use.”
See a larger selection of new words added—and their definitions—here.
