From ‘rizz’ to ‘dad bod’: Merriam-Webster adds 5,000 new words to dictionary
Dictionary adds thousands of new words in first update in 20 years
- Merriam-Webster is releasing the 12th edition of its Collegiate Dictionary on 18 November, marking its first hard-copy revision in over two decades.
- The updated dictionary includes over 5,000 new words and phrases, such as 'petrichor', 'teraflop', 'dumbphone', 'ghost kitchen', 'rizz', 'dad bod', and 'cancel culture'.
- To make room for new content, the dictionary removed sparse biographical and geographical entries, along with obscure and antiquated words like 'enwheel'.
- Merriam-Webster's president, Greg Barlow, said the aim was to make the 'Collegiate' more useful, better designed, and more engaging for browsing and research.
- Despite a reported decline in print dictionary sales, Merriam-Webster has seen significant growth in its online platforms, which receive approximately a billion visits annually.