Story at a glance
- Merriam-Webster is one of the leading dictionaries in the English language.
- The dictionary released a list of new words added to the dictionary this year.
- The words range from popular internet references and social justice language to medical terminology related to the coronavirus pandemic.
In many ways, 2020 brought change that was unfathomable just a year earlier. So as people learned to live in this new world, they also had to find new words to describe it.
Now, Merriam-Webster, one of the leading English language dictionaries, has released a list of words added to the dictionary either for the first time or with new meanings. Originating from the coronavirus pandemic to working from home to racial justice activism, here is a sampling of the words defined by the past year.
BIPOC (abbreviation) : Black, Indigenous, (and) People of Color
Bubble (noun): an area within which sports teams stay isolated from the general public during a series of scheduled games so as to prevent exposure to disease and that includes accommodations, amenities, and the location at which the games are held
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Cancel culture (noun): the practice or tendency of engaging in mass canceling as a way of expressing disapproval and exerting social pressure
Decarceration (noun): release from imprisonment; also the practice or policy of reducing the number of people subject to imprisonment
Digital blackface (noun): the use by white people of digital depictions of Black or brown people or skin tones especially for the purpose of self-representation or self-expression
Gig worker (noun): a person who works temporary jobs typically in the service sector as an independent contractor or freelancer
Folx (noun): folks — used especially to explicitly signal the inclusion of groups commonly marginalized
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Long hauler (noun): a person who experiences one or more long-term effects following initial improvement or recovery from a serious illness (such as COVID-19, which itself is a new word)
Performative (adjective): disapproving; made or done for show
Pod (noun): a usually small group of people (such as family members, friends, coworkers, or classmates) who regularly interact closely with one another but with few or no others in order to minimize exposure and reduce the transmission of infection during an outbreak of a contagious disease
Sapiosexual (adjective): of, relating to, or characterized by sexual or romantic attraction to highly intelligent people
Second Gentleman (noun): the husband or male partner of a vice president or second in command of a country or jurisdiction
Silver fox (noun): an attractive middle-aged man having mostly gray or white hair
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