Facebook

More Than 250 Words Added to Dictionary

Language is constantly changing. The words we use are informed by the times we live in. In order to keep up, Merriam-Webster has added more than 250 words to its dictionary. Many of them are reflective of the subjects our culture has been consumed by in recent months.

Technology is a running theme through the new additions. One new word is ransomware, defined as malware that requires the victim to pay a ransom to access encrypted files." There’s also internet of things, which provides a phrase to describe the fact that our refrigerators are now connected to the web. 

Politics is another influence on the words being added. Dog whistle, "an expression or statement that has a secondary meaning intended to be understood only by a particular group of people," was included. So was alt-right and a new meaning for the word troll, to cover the type monster that lurks in Facebook comments instead of under a bridge.

There were some fun additions as well, such as froyo and bunny - as in an easy shot during a basketball game. Hopefully, these new official terms can help prevent word salad "a string of empty, incoherent, unintelligible, or nonsensical words or comments." That’s a new addition, too.

Contact Us