New Words 2021
The following words were added to the Oxford and/or Merriam-Webster dictionaries over the course of 2021.
Air fryer (n.) – an airtight, usually small electrical appliance for quick cooking of foods by means of convection currents circulated rapidly by a fan.
Beast-mode (n.) – state of performing something, especially difficult activities, with extreme power, skill, or determination.
BIPOC (abbrev.; n.) Black, Indigenous, (and) People of Color.
Cancel culture (n.) – 1) the practice or tendency of engaging in mass canceling as a way of expressing disapproval and exerting social pressure; 2) the people who engage in or support this practice.
Dad bod (n.) – a slightly overweight and not extremely muscular physique.
Deplatform (v.) – to remove and ban (a registered user) from a mass communication medium (such as a social networking or blogging website).
Faux-hawk (n.) – a hairstyle resembling a Mohawk with a central ridge of upright hair but with the sides gathered or slicked upward or back instead of shaved.
Flex (v.) – an act of bragging or showing off.
Gig worker (n.) – a person who makes an income from project to project rather than on a steady salaried or employed basis.
Jedi (n.) – a person who shows extraordinary skill or expertise in a specified field or endeavor.
Long hauler (n.) – a person who experiences one or more long-term effects following initial improvement or recovery from a serious illness (such as COVID-19).
Oobleck (n.) – a mixture of corn starch and water that behaves like a liquid when at rest and like a solid when pressure is applied. Oobleck is a favorite component in kids’ science experiments.
Performative (adj.) – done for show.
Pod (n.) – an exclusive usually small group of people who regularly interact to minimize exposure and reduce the transmission of infection during an outbreak of a contagious disease.
Prison industrial complex (n.) – the web of partnerships between government and private entities that have made imprisonment, policing, and criminal justice a profitable industry.
Sapiosexual (adj.) – a person who is sexually or romantically attracted to highly intelligent people.
Silver fox (n.) – an attractive middle-aged man having mostly gray or white hair.
Super-spreader (n.) – originally referred to a highly contagious person capable of passing on a disease to many others, and now can also refer to a single place or occasion where many others are infected.
TBH (abbrev.) – a texting construct for “to be honest.”
Vaccine passport (n.) – a physical or digital document providing proof of vaccination against one or more infectious diseases (such as COVID-19).
Wet market (n.) – a market that sells perishable items (such as fresh meat and produce) and sometimes live animals which are often slaughtered on-site.
Whataboutism (n.) – 1) the act or practice of responding to an accusation of wrongdoing by claiming that an offense committed by another is similar or worse; 2) the response itself; 3) FOX Newspeak.
