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Gosh, there’s a word for that!
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- 5 March 2024

It’s 2024, and the variety of new words is astonishing. Lexicographers are updating dictionaries more often than ever. On Tuesday, 13 February, in its winter update, Dictionary.com announced 327 new entries, 173 new definitions for existing entries, and 1,228 revised definitions – in all, more than 1,700. Key themes and sources include pop culture, entertainment, news, slang, science, health and wellness, fashion, sports, economics and finance, as well as climate, weather and environment.
According to Dictionary.com’s John Kelly, “The intersection of language, learning, and culture is boundless, and we recognize that words have the power to shape thoughts, bridge gaps, and reflect our ever-evolving society. Our semi-annual New Words announcement is meant to support a greater understanding of where language is, where it might go next – and why the constantly expanding universe of words matters for our everyday lives” (cited in TMCNET).
Some words and terms have more than one definition. Here are some words from this release we can look up at our leisure: carbon market, fire science, fire whirl, fire tornado, superfog, stellar nursery, geoglyph, ammoglyph, dendroglyph, sustainable fashion, slow fashion, shortalls, eco-chic, skiplag(ging), Tommy John surgery, turf toe, capped, beer league, soju, natto, kennel cough, sound bath, VO2 max, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), Tabata, keto flu (carb flu), prebiotic, micellar water, cheat code, bottarga, Uluru and Scouser.
I’ve chosen 23 of the words from this release, with more words in some of the entries:
Barbiecore (noun)
an aesthetic or style featuring playful pink outfits, accessories, decor, and so on that celebrates or is modelled on Barbie doll wardrobes. Other niche aesthetics include cottagecore and normcore.
enshittification (noun)
the gradual degradation of the functionality of an online platform or service, as part of a cycle in which it first offers benefits to users to attract them, then increasingly pursues profits at the expense of users.
girl dinner (noun)
an often attractively presented collection of snacks that involve little preparation, such as small quantities of cold cuts, cheese, fruit, cherry tomatoes and so on that are deemed sufficient as a meal for one.
mid (adjective)
mediocre, unimpressive or disappointing.
bussin’ (adjective)
great, wonderful, amazing; likely based on various senses of bust, meaning to explode, do well or enjoy.
the ick (noun)
a sudden feeling of disgust or dislike, often in response to another person’s actions; popular in dating culture. Also an informal term for an illness, especially a cold or flu.
bed rotting (noun)
spending many hours in bed during the day, often with snacks and/or an electronic device, as a voluntary retreat from activity or stress. Many consider it a form of self-care. The verb form is bed rot.
pretty privilege (noun)
an unearned and mostly unacknowledged societal advantage that a person has by fitting into their culture’s beauty standards.
boring billion (noun)
a period in earth’s development, between 1,800 and 800 million years ago, characterised by relative geological and climatic stability, slow evolutionary development, and low atmospheric oxygen.
shacket (noun)
a garment (shirt + jacket) in the style of a button-down shirt, made from a thicker fabric and usually worn over other shirts.
cozy (adjective)
a genre of mystery stories with little suspense, explicit violence or sexual content, often also having amateur detectives and idyllic, intimate settings. Sometimes used as a noun to refer to such a story.
girl mom (noun)
a mother of a daughter or daughters, especially one with only a daughter or daughters. Similar to girl dad, boy mom and boy dad. These terms are used proudly to identify as a certain type of parent, for instance on T-shirts or as hashtags.
squish (noun)
an intense feeling of infatuation that is not romantic or sexual; a Platonic crush. Unrelated, also used in U.S. politics as a derogatory term for a politician, especially a Republican, who is perceived by members of their own party as too moderate or willing to compromise.
dry powder (noun)
cash reserves, liquid assets or easily liquidated assets such as readily saleable stocks and bonds, held by a corporation or an individual in order to cover current or future obligations, make new purchases, or take advantage of unforeseen opportunities.
bag holder (noun)
someone who retains an unprofitable investment rather than selling it at a loss, only to suffer an even worse loss when the investment eventually becomes worthless.
extreme heat event (noun)
meteorological and climatological term for a heat event classified as posing a serious public health threat.
intimate partner violence (noun)
acts of violence or abuse within a romantic relationship.
supervised injection site (noun)
a medically supervised facility at which people can inject illicit drugs they have brought with them, a practice intended to reduce overdoses, disease transmission and other health problems associated with illicit drug use.
food insecure (adjective)
having or characterised by limited or uncertain access to adequate food. The noun form is food insecurity.
energy poverty (noun)
a lack of adequate access to constant, safe, affordable sources of electricity or fuel for warmth, light, cooking and so on.
worlding (noun)
bringing a person, people, culture, nation, etc. into a global (especially Western) sphere of influence.
fakeness (noun)
artificial, false or insincere behaviour or speech; pretense. More generally, the quality or condition of being false, artificial or insincere.
boobne (noun)
pimples or a rash in the area of the breasts or the upper back, caused by a bra that chafes, is not clean, or is made of material that is allergenic or not breathable. Other acne blend words include bacne and maskne.

Sources
Nick Norlen and Grant Barrett: There’s a word for that: Our dictionary additions for winter 2024. 13 February 2024.
TMCNET News: Dictionary.com adds over 1,700 new, updated, and revised words to the world’s premier catalog of the English language. 13 February 2024.