Merriam-Webster Dictionary's latest additions include 'side-eye,' 'humblebrag,' and 'ghost'
Merriam-Webster Dictionary just got a little bit thicker. On Tuesday, the dictionary announced it's adding more than 1,000 new words and definitions to its repertoire.
The additions run the gamut, including medical and science-related words such as "EpiPen," "Urgent Care," "CRISPR," and "microbiome"; food-related vocabulary like "macaron" and "chef's knife"; sports words like "airball," "up-fake," and "five-hole"; technological terms like "net neutrality" and "botnet"; and some political words, including "SCOTUS," "FLOTUS," and "truther." Children's book author Dr. Seuss even got a shout-out, with the addition of "Seussian" — "of, relating to, or suggestive of the works of Dr. Seuss."
Of course, it wouldn't be a dictionary expansion without the addition of some new slang words. There's "binge-watch" ("to watch many or all episodes of a TV series in rapid succession"); "ghost" ("to abruptly cut off all contact with someone by no longer accepting or responding to texts, etc."); "throw shade" ("to express contempt or disrespect for someone publicly especially by subtle or indirect insults or criticisms"); "humblebrag" ("to make a seemingly modest, self-critical, or casual statement or reference that is meant to draw attention to one's admirable or impressive qualities or achievements"); and "side-eye" ("a sidelong glance or gaze especially when expressing scorn, suspicion, disapproval, or veiled curiosity").
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
To check out all the new additions, head over to Merriam-Webster.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Political cartoons for January 17Cartoons Saturday’s political cartoons include hard hats, compliance, and more
-
Ultimate pasta alla NormaThe Week Recommends White miso and eggplant enrich the flavour of this classic pasta dish
-
Death in Minneapolis: a shooting dividing the USIn the Spotlight Federal response to Renee Good’s shooting suggest priority is ‘vilifying Trump’s perceived enemies rather than informing the public’
-
‘One Battle After Another’ wins Critics Choice honorsSpeed Read Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio, won best picture at the 31st Critics Choice Awards
-
Son arrested over killing of Rob and Michele ReinerSpeed Read Nick, the 32-year-old son of Hollywood director Rob Reiner, has been booked for the murder of his parents
-
Rob Reiner, wife dead in ‘apparent homicide’speed read The Reiners, found in their Los Angeles home, ‘had injuries consistent with being stabbed’
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literatureSpeed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees