Merriam-Webster Adds Adds 690 New Words to the Dictionary (September 2023 Update)

From the M-W Website:

Signs of a healthy language include words being created, words being borrowed from other languages, and new meanings being given to existing words. Based on our most recent research, we are pleased to inform you that English is very (very!) healthy.

Examples of New Words Added

zhuzh noun : a small improvement, adjustment, or addition that completes the overall look, taste, etc. of something; verb : to improve in flavor or appearance by way of a small improvement, adjustment, or addition — often used with up

GOATED adjective, slang : considered to be the greatest of all time

bussin’ adjective, African American English slang : extremely good : excellent; especially : delicious, tasty

generative AI noun : artificial intelligence that is capable of generating new content (such as images or text) in response to a submitted prompt (such as a query) by learning from a large reference database of examples

smishing noun : the practice of sending text messages to someone in order to trick the person into revealing personal or confidential information which can then be used for criminal purposes

hallucination noun … 3 : a plausible but false or misleading response generated by an artificial intelligence algorithm

rewild verb 1 : to return to a more natural or wild state : to make or become natural or wild again; specifically : to increase biodiversity and restore the natural processes of an ecosystem typically by reducing or ceasing human activity and reintroducing plant and animal species 2 : to return (an animal) to the wild

nerf verb 1 informal : to reduce the effectiveness of (something, such as a character, attribute, or weapon) in a video game; broadly : to make (something) less useful or effective 2 informal : to lightly bump (another car) in an automobile race

doomscroll verb : to spend excessive time online scrolling (see scroll entry 2) through news or other content that makes one feel sad, anxious, angry, etc.

edgelord noun, slang : someone who makes wildly dark and exaggerated statements (as on an internet forum) with the intent of shocking others

nurdle noun : a plastic pellet (see pellet entry 1 sense 1a) that is usually less than 0.2 inch (0.5 centimeter) in diameter or length, that is the raw material from which plastic products are manufactured, and that is a common pollutant of global waters and beaches — not used technically

bracketology noun : the practice or study of predicting the outcome of elimination tournaments or competitions especially in NCAA college basketball

meme stock noun : a stock (see stock entry 1 sense 2a) that experiences a temporary sudden surge in popularity and price due to a coordinated effort (such as a viral social media campaign) by small investors

last mile noun : the final stage of the distance that must be covered by a service (as a telecommunications network or delivery service) in order to reach a consumer

girlboss noun : an ambitious and successful woman (especially a businesswoman or entrepreneur)

Direct to Complete M-W Post (Many More Examples From New Words List)

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