Merriam-Webster Adds A Set Of Extremely 2020 Words To The Dictionary
The struggles of 2020 will certainly be etched into the fabric of society for a long time, and now the words of 2020 will be too.
Today, Merriam-Webster announced it was adding 535 new words and phrases to the dictionary, many of which are buzzwords of the modern era.
After an update last month that added several coronavirus-related terms including "social distancing", "COVID-19", "contact tracing" and "community spread" to the dictionary, April's update has added "self-isolate," "physical distancing," and the abbreviation "WFH" (work from home). Medical terminology including "Epidemic curve" and "herd immunity" has also been added, along with a list of phobias relating to fear of medical treatment.
Troubling phenomena of the modern internet such as "deepfake", "Dark Web" have also been added to the dictionary.
The update isn't all gloomy words, however. Merriam-Webster, ever-adaptable to the evolution of modern speech, has also added entries for recent slang words like "Finna" and added an extra definition for "Thirsty": "showing a strong desire for attention, approval, or publicity." ("This new use demonstrates how English speakers love to use metaphor to push words into new territories," Merriam Webster wrote).
Finally, Merriam-Webster added a definition for "Truthiness," a Stephen Colbert-ism which Merriam-Webster said has "a special place in our hearts." According to the dictionary's editors:
At a time when truths of various kinds are under siege, and facts and news are put into constant question, English speakers find it useful to have a special word for the kind of unproven and unprovable utterances that don’t measure up to the standards of evidence and research that are required for consensus and understanding. This could help us all keep truth as a word that matters.
Share Pin
Chaosfreak11
"Truthiness" isn't a word. Just because some random celebrity makes a phrase doesn't mean it's a word. Tell me when sicko mode is added into the dictionary.
Panuru
But its subsequent usage makes it a word. Much like 400 years ago some random celebrity invented words such as "bandit" and "lonely".
Chaosfreak11
This is literally the first time that I have seen this word used in a sentence. If you want to show me an example of it being used a conversation, be my guest.
Panuru
There is literally a section of the Wikipedia article titled "Widespread Recognition" with examples starting in 2006.
view the rest of this conversation →
GD82
I think the biggest surprise for me is that "herd immunity" wasn't already in, considering that it's a concept that has existed for a rather long time.