© 2024 Boise State Public Radio
NPR in Idaho
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Apple's latest iOS (17.4) is preventing our livestreams from playing. We suggest you download the free Boise State Public Radio app & stream us there while we work to troubleshoot the issue.

'TBH' and 'dad bod' are among Merriam-Webster's 455 newest words. Because language

The Merriam-Webster dictionary added 455 new words in October, many related to online slang or the coronavirus pandemic.
Joanne K. Watson/Merriam-Webster Via Getty Image
The Merriam-Webster dictionary added 455 new words in October, many related to online slang or the coronavirus pandemic.

The pandemic pushed more culture and communication online than ever, and the wordsmiths at Merriam-Webster were watching.

They've added 455 new words and definitions to the dictionary for October to keep up with the evolving English language.

"The quick and informal nature of messaging, texting, and tweeting has contributed to a vocabulary newly rich in efficient and abbreviated expression," Merriam-Webster explained on its website.

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.

Because: In lieu of "because of." M-W explains: "This preposition use of because is versatile; it can be used, for example, to avoid delving into the overly technical ('the process works because science') or to dismiss explanation altogether ('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.


This story originally appeared on the Morning Edition live blog.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Tags

You make stories like this possible.

The biggest portion of Boise State Public Radio's funding comes from readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

Your donation today helps make our local reporting free for our entire community.