Merriam-Webster Adds 1,400 New Words, Reflecting Social Media and Internet Culture
Merriam-Webster announced on September 15 that it has added 1,400 new words to its dictionary, with a significant portion inspired by social media and internet culture. Among the new entries are terms such as 'glow-up,' 'looksmaxxing,' 'Rickroll,' and 'meme coin.' This update follows a similar announcement from Dictionary.com on September 12, which added nearly 6,000 new words and abbreviations, including 'glow-up.' The process for adding words to Merriam-Webster involves editors actively monitoring language changes across various publications and websites. They collect citations, context, and sourcing for potential new words, which are then stored in a searchable database. Editors conduct further research to assess the frequency, widespread use, and meaningfulness of these words before senior colleagues review the evidence for inclusion. Merriam-Webster emphasizes that there is no formal committee or regular meetings for word inclusion; instead, it relies on a continuous evaluation of language evolution.
