Attention, word nerds! Merriam-Webster announced on Wednesday, April 20, that it has added 2,000 words and phrases to its pages to reflect the ever-changing English language, including some surprising entries.
Among the hip and happening words that have entered its pages are acronyms such as FOMO (fear of missing out), ICYMI (in case you missed it) and TMI (too much information).
Other generation-specific terms — including nomophobia (the fear of being without a cellphone), Bitcoin (digital currency created for peer-to-peer online transactions) and hella (you know what this means) — also made the cut.
Several controversial terms pertaining to the LGBTQ community were also added. Cisgender (of, relating to or being a person whose gender identity corresponds with the sex the person was identified as having at birth) and genderqueer (of, relating to or being a person whose gender identity cannot be categorized as solely male or female) are two such examples.
Dictionary users were quick to jump on social media to share their thoughts on the latest additions.
https://twitter.com/MsAnnesuDeVos/status/722873549174607875
@lynncyrin @MerriamWebster This is the best.
— Nazi-Intolerant (@CanadiEnby) April 20, 2016
@MerriamWebster It's pronounced cheesegender by the way. It's from Latin.
— Sara Bess (@smbess) April 20, 2016
@MerriamWebster You all are having a pretty shite day in Dictionary Land today. Way to promote the dumbing down of society! ??
— Z (@Zak_Dazzle) April 21, 2016
@MerriamWebster "nomophobia" – not to be confused with "nomophonia", the state of being without your phone.
— Stephen Kirkish (@stevekirkish) April 21, 2016
“The new entries and senses offer a kind of snapshot of how exactly our language expands,” a staement on the official Merriam-Webster website says. “It doesn’t happen quickly — we monitored many of these words for years before they’d met our criteria for entry — and it’s pushed by various fields and endeavors.”
Tell Us: What do you think about the dictionary’s newest words and phrases?