2018's Newest Word Additions and Definitions to the Dictionary

By Peter SM RSS Fri, December 28, 2018

As we wind down the year that was 2018 and look forward to what 2019 may have in store, wordsmiths, Scrabble players, and those who are just looking to add some new flavor to their vocabulary can rejoice that 840 new words and definitions have been added to the dictionary!

The English language is constantly evolving, even more so in today's digitally-driven world, so some of these words may already be known to you from entries in the urban dictionary or slang dictionary. some are internet-speak while others are more specific to the tech world. Not every word that's new to the dictionary is necessarily "new", some culinary terms have been around for a while, and the new list also features abbreviations of common words.

For example, The Oxford English Dictionary contains more than 829,000 words, senses, and compounds. Experts in various specific fields are consulted by OED’s researchers before deciding if a neologism (a newly coined word or expression) should be added to Oxford’s list.

In order to qualify, a word needs to be used for "a reasonable amount of time" and in numerous independent examples.

Here is just a sample of some of this year's newly added words:

G.O.A.T. (acronym)
Greatest of All Time

TL;DR (abbrev.)
Too long; didn't read—used to say that something would require too much time to read.

Bingeable (adj.)
Having multiple episodes or parts that can be watched in rapid succession.

Biohacking (noun)
Biological experimentation (as by gene editing or the use of drugs or implants) done to improve the qualities or capabilities of living organisms especially by individuals and groups outside of a traditional medical or scientific research environment.

Gochujang (noun)
A spicy paste used in Korean cuisine that is made from red chili peppers, glutinous rice, and fermented soybeans.

Mise en Place (noun)
A culinary process in which ingredients are prepared and organized (as in a restaurant kitchen) before cooking.

Hophead (noun)
Originally a slang word for a drug addict dating back to 1883, this word these days means "A beer enthusiast."

Hangry (adj.)
Irritable or angry because of hunger.

Latinx (adj.)
Of, relating to, or marked by Latin American heritage—used as a gender-neutral alternative to Latino or Latina.

Generation Z (noun)
The generation of people born in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

And the top words of the year?

Merriam-Webster has chosen "Justice" as it's 2018 Word of the Year.

Other dictionaries stayed with a similar theme:

The Oxford Dictionary selected "Toxic"

and

Dictionary.com selected "Misinformation".


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