WASHINGTON — The Merriam-Webster dictionary announced it's adding 455 new words to its list of terms, many of them reflecting where we are in society today. Many of the words fall under categories like the COVID-19 pandemic, internet culture, food and more.
This is the second update Merriam-Webster's issued this year. Back in January, the dictionary added 520 words, like "silver fox" to describe an older, attractive man with grey hair, and "flex," meaning to brag.
October's additions now mean there's a formal definition for a silver fox with a dad bod and a faux-hawk.
In the ever-evolving realm of COVID, Webster is adding words like "long COVID," the condition where patients continue experiencing symptoms long after recovering from the virus; and "vaccine passport," the highly-debated documents that demonstrate vaccination against coronavirus.
Some of the new additions are new definitions to well established words as well. "Because" has a new meaning. According to Merriam-Webster it's "often used in a humorous way to convey vagueness about the exact reasons for something." This context is commonly used on the internet, ie: "because reasons," or "because science." "Amirite," slang for "am I right," "TBH," shorthand for "to be honest" and "digital nomad," someone who works remotely from many places, have all been added too.
Many food words also got the nod, including "air fryer," "fluffernutter," the peanut butter and marshmallow fluff sandwich and "ghost kitchen" which have spiked in popularity with so many people ordering out during the pandemic.
It doesn't seem that Merriam-Webster has released the full list of the 455 additions, but many of the highlights can be found on the dictionary's website.