From ‘dad bod’ to ‘amirite’: Merriam-Webster adds 455 new words, including slangs, COVID-related
Merriam-Webster has added 455 new words to its venerable dictionary, including a number of abbreviations and slang terms that have become ubiquitous on social media.
FollowDad bod, amirite, TBH and FTW – heard these words recently but don’t know the meaning? Well, fret not anymore as these words are now dictionary appropriate. As language evolves, so does the dictionary.
Merriam-Webster has added 455 new words and definitions to its dictionary this year and some are surprising slang terms, while others are words that seem like they should've been added long ago. “Super-spreader, Vaccine passport, TBH, Dad bod and FTW” are all now in the dictionary.
Here are a few of the new additions:
Amirite: Am I right? Merriam-Webster suggests that “English spelling is consistently inconsistent, amirite?”
TBH: To be honest.
FTW: For the win.
Deplatform: To remove and ban a user from a digital platform.
The word “because” got a tweak to include a new meaning in its definition. Merriam-Webster says it is "often used in a humorous way to convey vagueness about the exact reasons for something." This use of the word avoids delving into the overly technical. For example: "The process works because science" or "they left because reasons.”
Also new to the dictionary are newly common COVID-related words and terms: long covid, super-spreader, breakthrough and vaccine passport.
The words in the coronavirus category include "super-spreader" (a person who is highly contagious or an event or location at which a significant number of people contract the same communicable disease) and "vaccine passport" (a physical or digital document providing proof of vaccination against one or more infectious diseases).
More slang entered the vernacular as a result of partisan politics, such as 'whataboutism,' defined by Merriam-Webster as the act or practise of reacting to an accusation of wrongdoing by contending that an offence committed by another is similar or worse. The dictionary states that 'whataboutery' is more typically employed by Britons.
Other new phrases come from the culinary sector, such 'fluffernutter,' a comforting sandwich made with peanut butter, marshmallow crème, and white bread.
