Merriam-Webster’s 690 New Words Include “Girlboss,” “Finsta,” and “Jorts”
Dictionary.com added a bunch of new definitions a few weeks ago. Now it’s Merriam-Webster’s turn!
They just added 690 new words and terms. A lot of them are newer words young people are using. But there are also a few we’re surprised they didn’t already have . . . like “tiny house,” “forever chemical,” and “TTYL” for “talk to you later.”
Here are a few more newly-added words from the list:
1. Girlboss. An ambitious and successful businesswoman or entrepreneur.
2. Rizz. Romantic appeal or charm. It’s short for “charisma.”
3. Mid. Something that’s not great, but not awful. It’s just mid.
4. Doggo. Slang for dog.
5. TFW. Short for “that feeling when.”
6. NGL. Short for “not gonna lie.”
7. UAP. Short for “unidentified aerial phenomena.” It’s the new term for UFOs.
8. Jorts. Short for jean shorts. Another one we’re surprised they didn’t have yet.
9. Speedrun. When you play an entire video game as fast as possible.
10. Quiet quit. To do the minimum amount of work required.
11. Rage quit. To suddenly stop participating or engaging in something in a fit of anger and frustration.
12. Thirst trap. A photo or video shared to attract attention or desire.
13. ‘Grammable. Something worthy of being posted on Instagram.
14. Doomscroll. Excessively scrolling through news or other content that makes you feel sad, anxious, or angry.
15. Finsta. Slang for a secret Instagram account. Short for “fake Insta.”
16. Cheffy. If someone’s a good cook, you might say, “You’re so cheffy.”
17. Kayfabe. (KAY-fayb) It dates back to at least the 1980s. It’s the unspoken agreement between professional wrestlers and fans to pretend it’s all real.
18. Kiss-and-cry. In professional ice-skating, it’s the area just off the ice where they sit and wait to see their scores.
19. Beast mode. Another sports term. Like if a running back runs someone over, you might say, “Wow, that was beast mode.”
20. Cape. To act as a defender or supporter. So if you stick up for someone, you’re caping them.