July 15, 2021
Guess What ‘Y’all’, Dictionary.com Adds More Than 300 New Words to Its Library
Social media conversations have contributed to making so many new words and slang terms like “zaddy” and “trap house” a sure thing. And the rule is, if a term becomes widely used and in this case, overused, it ultimately becomes official.
So goes some 300 new words like “trap house, zaddy, y’all, and more that have been added to the Dictionary.com database. The site is the leading online and mobile English-language educational resource and recently announced that it has added more than 300 new words and definitions to its latest update.
The newest entries demonstrate the changes in language and the way we utilize it ranging from changes in culture and tech due to COVID to keeping track of ways people are dealing with identity to slang and cultural touchstones.
“The latest update to our dictionary continues to mirror the world around us,” said John Kelly, Managing Editor, Dictionary.com in a written statement.
“Long COVID, minoritize, 5G, content warning, domestic terrorism—it’s a complicated and challenging society we live in, and language changes to help us grapple with it. But sometimes language changes just for fun. Yes, yeet is now in the dictionary, which may prompt some of us to use one other of our new entries: oof! Perhaps these lighter slang and pop culture newcomers to our dictionary reflect another important aspect of our time—a cautious optimism and a brighter mood about the future ahead after a trying 2020.”
Below, see some of the 300 latest words added to dictionary.com. You can click on the words to see the words being used in an example.
- 5G: fifth-generation: being or relating to communications technology or a mobile device that supports much faster data-transfer speeds with significantly lower latency than previous versions.
- a**hat: slang: a foolish, annoying, or contemptible person; a**hole.
- asynchronous: relating to or being a computer operation that can occur independently, without waiting for another event.
- Aunt Jemima: slang: Disparaging and Offensive. a Black woman considered by other Black people to be subservient to or to curry favor with white people.
- Black Code: (in the ex-Confederate states) any code of law that defined and especially limited the rights of formerly enslaved African Americans in the period immediately following the Civil War.
- blamestorm: the process of assigning blame for a negative outcome or situation.
- boondoggle: a wasteful and worthless project undertaken for political, corporate, or personal gain, typically a government project funded by taxpayers.
- content warning: abbreviation: CW; a stated warning that the content of the immediately following text, video, etc., may upset or offend some people.
- cultural appropriation: the adoption, usually without acknowledgment, of cultural identity markers from subcultures or minority communities into mainstream culture by people with a relatively privileged status.
- DEI: diversity, equity, and inclusion: a conceptual framework that promotes the fair treatment and full participation of all people, especially in the workplace, including populations who have historically been underrepresented or subject to discrimination because of their background, identity, disability, etc.
- domestic terrorism: the unlawful use of violence or threats against a country’s civilian population or government by an individual or group based and operating within the same country and without foreign direction, with the goal of furthering political, social, or ideological objectives.
- deplatform: to prohibit (a person or people) from sharing their views in a public forum, especially by banning a user from posting on a social media website or application.
- Edy’s Pie: Trademark. the brand name for a small bar of ice cream coated with chocolate and skewered on a narrow, thin stick, by which it is held in the hand for eating.
- ghost gun: a gun that does not have a serial number and cannot be easily traced, especially one assembled at home from parts purchased without a background check.
- ghost kitchen: a commercial facility that prepares and cooks restaurant-style food for delivery directly to customers or to one or more dine-in restaurants.
- hypodescent: the classifying or identifying of a biracial or multiracial individual as a member of the lower or lowest socially ranking racial group from which that person has ancestry.
- ingénue: the role of a young, innocent, and appealing character in a play, movie, TV show, etc., typically a female role.
- JEDI: abbreviation; justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion: a conceptual framework that attempts to redress disparity and inequality in society, promoting the fair treatment and full participation of all people, especially in the workplace, including populations who have historically been underrepresented or subject to discrimination because of their background, identity, disability, etc.
- lemming: a person who follows the will of others, especially in a mass movement, and heads straight into a situation or circumstance that is dangerous, stupid, or destructive.
- long COVID: a condition characterized by symptoms or health problems that linger or first appear after supposed recovery from an acute phase of COVID-19 infection.
- long haul: Pathology. relating to or being a condition characterized by symptoms or health problems that linger or first appear after supposed recovery from an associated acute illness or active infection.
- long hauler: Pathology. a person who experiences symptoms or health problems that linger or first appear after supposed recovery from an associated acute illness or active infection.
- minoritize: to make (a person or group) subordinate in status to a more dominant group or its members.
- misper: British, Police Slang. a missing person.
- one-drop rule: a social classification, codified in law in some states during the 20th century, that identifies biracial or multiracial individuals as Black if they have any known Black African ancestry, even from a Black ancestor many generations removed.
- oof: an exclamation used to sympathize with someone else’s pain or dismay, or to express one’s own.
- sh*tshow: a person or thing that is a total mess, failure, or disaster.
- side hustle: a job or occupation that brings in extra money beyond one’s regular job and main source of income.
- silver fox: an attractive older person with gray or silver hair, especially a man.
- scrappy: having or showing spirit and determination, especially in spite of obstacles.
- snack: Slang. a sexy and physically attractive person; hottie.
- synchronous: relating to or being a computer operation that must complete before another event can begin.
- theater: a public display of action or speech that gives a false impression of accomplishing or promising something, merely for the sake of appearances.
- TW: abbreviation; trigger warning. a stated warning that the content of the immediately following text, video, etc., may cause distressing psychological or physiological reactions, especially in people who have previously experienced a related trauma.
- trap house: Slang. a place where illicit drugs are bought, sold, or used.
- y’all: you (used in direct address usually to two or more people, or to one person who represents a family, organization, etc.).
- you-all: you (used in direct address to two or more people).
- youse: you (usually used in addressing two or more people).
- you-uns: you (used in direct address usually to two or more persons).
- yeet: an exclamation of enthusiasm, approval, triumph, pleasure, joy, etc.
- zaddy: an attractive man who is also stylish, charming, and self-confident.
