10 newly-coined words that Merriam Webster is adding to their dictionary in 2021

Not many of us know, but there’s a job called lexicography in which a person writes or compiles words to make a dictionary. They are called lexicographers. Recently, the lexicographers of Merriam-Webster, one of pioneer companies in the dictionary industry, monitored alterations in the lexicon (vocabulary) and added 455 words to their word-stock. They realized that with so much that’s happening around the world since the last two years, English language has undergone massive evolution, and even the tiniest, most insignificant word, that is however widely used, deserved a space in their dictionary.  

In fact, most newly-coined words mirror the times we are living in. For example, the terms related to Coronavirus—super-spreader and vaccine passport—have become so common that their entries were non-negotiable. Then there are some words, that although aren’t directly related to Covid-19, have influenced the global culture. One such example is digital nomad as the entire world has shifted to remote work courtesy the pandemic.  

There are also other words, that originated, thanks to the internet and social media. Acronyms like FTW and TBH or words like chicharron and fluffernutter are now parts of the Merriam-Webster vocabulary. Here is our list of 10 notable additions in the 2021 Merriam Webster vocabulary. 

Amirite (interjection)  
The expanded form of this word means “Am I right?” This term is a part of colloquial internet usage and according to Merriam-Webster, “represent or imitate the use of this phrase as a tag question in informal speech.”  

Breakthrough (Noun)  
Breakthrough already had a spot in the dictionary, meaning “characterized by major progress or overcoming some obstacle.” But in the post-pandemic world, it now has a medical connotation which means “infection occurring in someone who is fully vaccinated against an infectious disease.” 

Copypasta (Noun)  
It means “data (primarily a block of text related to computer science coding and programming) that has been copied and spread widely online.” The word is often used to represent misinformation or urban legends in the digital world. 

Fluffernutter (Noun)  
Although the word had originated in 1960s, Merriam-Webster recently added it to their word-hoard. It refers to a sandwich filled with peanut butter and marshmallow and fluffed together.  

Halotherapy (Noun)  
It means “the therapeutic use of salt usually by inhalation of an aerosol composed chiefly of fine salt particles, and circulated in an enclosed area.” 

Super-spreader (Noun)  
According to Merriam-Webster, the term super-spreader means “an individual who is highly contagious and capable of transmitting a communicable disease to an unusually large number of uninfected individuals.”  

Otaku (Noun)  
The word is used to refer to a person greatly interested in anime and manga. 

Vaccine passport (Noun)  
A soft or hard copy of a document that proves that a person is fully vaccinated against Covid-19 or similar contagious diseases.  

TBH (Abbreviation)  
It is the abbreviated form of “To be honest” that has been in usage on the internet for a while now, but has finally been added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary.  

FTW (Abbreviation)  
Another popular internet acronym, it means “for the win.”