Fun with Words- Additions of New Words in the English Dictionary

Why expand your knowledge and use of words? Why should you be aware of new and different words? That’s because you'll be able to not just communicate but also speak and write more clearly, and in turn, people will understand you more easily and effectively.

As an English language learner, you must be dedicated and work hard to expand your English vocabulary. It often happens while speaking that we are short of words, and it happens because we are not doing enough to learn new words. Vocabulary opens up doors to new worlds and makes learning fun and enjoyable.

In the past we have covered several blogs on English vocabulary building as well as assignments one can use to learn newer words. While learning any new language, words are the building blocks of your sentences and thus vocabulary building is imminent.

As an online English speaking course in India, we have observed that most learners seek English as a second language (ESL). In this case, they are familiar with basic or beginner level English vocabulary and for speaking fluently, vocabulary assignments become even more important. All our online English tutors make it a priority to include vocabulary building lessons.

Interesting new words added to the English dictionary:

Online English classes know for a fact that the list of English words is tremendously long. There are more than 150,000 words in English. That’s not just it, the words keep getting added every month. These additions reflect just how much the English language keeps growing. As per Peter Sokolowski, the Editor at Large for Merriam-Webster, “Language is a measure of culture, but also, a measure of time,”. When enough people use these words to communicate, it becomes the dictionary’s job to catalog them and report on how they are used.

Let’s read the new words and have a look at their meanings.

1. Anti-blackness- Hostility, or prejudice towards, or discrimination against, black people.
2. Anthropocene: Relating to or denoting the current geological age, viewed as the period during which human activity has been the major influence on climate and the environment.
3. Archistriatum: A region of the brain of reptiles and birds thought to represent an intermediate stage in the phylogenetic development of the corpus.
4. Astraphobia: A fear of lightning, or of thunderstorms accompanied by lightning.
5. Badassery: Behavior, characteristics, or actions that are quite impressive.
6. Chapstick: A proprietary name for a small tub of ointment that is applied to the lips to soothe soreness, dryness, and cracking.
7. Chindogu: An invention which is innovative and ingenious but is of little or no use in the real world
8. Defund: To withdraw funding from (an enterprise, institution, etc.), either fully or in part.
9. Deplatform: To remove and ban (a registered user) from a mass communication medium (such as a social networking or blogging website) in order to prevent from having or providing a platform to communicate.
10. Dingola.: To dance in an exuberant or uninhibited way. Generally, to twist or turn one’s body.
11. Fatberg: A very large mass of solid waste in a sewerage system, consisting especially of congealed fat and personal hygiene products that have been flushed down toilets.
12. Freshperson: A first-year student at a university, college, or high school. Can be used for a newcomer or novice.
13. Frankenfood: Genetically modified food.
14. Ghost kitchen: A commercial cooking facility used for the preparation of food consumed off the premises. It is also called cloud kitchen or dark kitchen.
15. Gig Worker: A person who works temporary jobs typically in the service sector as an independent contractor or freelancer.
16. Greeze: A large and a satisfying meal.
17. Gribble: Irritable, ill-tempered
18. Queerbaiting: The harassment, abuse, or targeted provocation of LGBT people
19. Infomania: The compulsive desire to check or accumulate news and information, typically via mobile phone or computer.
20. Listicle: A piece of writing or other content presented wholly or partly in the form of a list.
21. Locavore: A person whose diet consists principally locally grown or produced food.
22. Long Hauler: A person who experiences one or more long-term effects following initial improvement or recovery from a serious illness (such as COVID-19)
23. Mice: To daydream or to be distracted. (Chiefly in present participle)
24. Microaggression: A statement, action, or incident regarded as an instance of indirect, subtle, or unintentional discrimination against members of a marginalized group such as a racial or ethnic minority.
25. Mug: Unattractive, unappealing or unpleasant.
26. Muggle: A person who is not conversant with a particular activity or skill.
27. Negging.: The action of refusing to consider a point of view, suggestion, etc.
28. Noob: A person who is inexperienced in a particular sphere or activity, especially computing or the use of the internet.
29. Screenager: A person in their teens or twenties who has an aptitude for computers and the internet.
30. Serveware.: Items used for serving food and drink, regarded collectively
31. Sofa-surf: To engage in sedentary activities such as watching television
32. Totes: Totally.
33. Toyo: Soy sauce
34. Truthiness: the quality of seeming or being felt to be true, even if not necessarily true.
35. Twerk: Dance to popular music in a sexually provocative manner involving thrusting hip movements and a low, squatting stance.
36. Twitterati: Keen or frequent users of the social networking site Twitter.
37. Whataboutism: The act of responding to an accusation of wrongdoing by claiming that an offense committed by another is similar or worse
38. Webisode: An episode of a show that may or may not have been telecast but can be viewed at a website
39. Wet Market: A market that sells perishable items (such as fresh meat and produce) and sometimes live animals which are often slaughtered on-site
40. Woot: Used to express elation, enthusiasm, or triumph. (Especially in electronic communication)
41. Wrinch: To reprimand, rebuke or to scold.
42. Yarn-Bomb: Cover (an object or structure in a public place) with decorative knitted or material, as a form of street art.

Now, have you ever wondered how the words get added in the dictionary?

Well, the editors study language in use when deciding what new words or phrases to include in an updated version of the dictionary, including the words and phrases that are used by most people. The editors read different books, newspapers, magazines and electronic publications every day. While reading, they keep an eye out for things such as new words or phrases, new spellings and new usage for existing words or phrases.

When something interesting strikes them, they mark the word or phrase and collect information about their meaning and on how it is used. This process is called “reading and marking." Once a new word or phrase has been marked, editors enter it into a computer system. They also create a “citation," which comprises of three things: the word or phrase, an example of the word or phrase used in context and bibliographic information about its source.

There is no guarantee that a citation will be added to the dictionary. Editors must find enough citations before a new word can be added to the dictionary. It takes significant period of time for the addition of words into the dictionary.

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