It wasn’t until recently that I realised just how many new ‘official’ words we have at our disposal every year. That’s because the Oxford English Dictionary is updated four times annually. I discovered this after stumbling upon an article talking about some of the latest new entries. Like cultural appropriation, mardy bum and everything bagel……and more.
And those folks at the Oxford English Dictionary don’t do things by halves. Indeed there are hundreds of new entries (words, senses and subentries) each quarter that we may want to be familiar with. (Or may not as the case may be). Already in 2018 updates in January and March have added over 1,800 new entries to the dictionary.
What’s clear as they dictionary expands is that colloquial or conversational words, often used more often in speech than writing, are increasingly receiving an official status. In some cases even words you might regard as slang now boast dictionary credentials.
This couldn’t be illustrated more clearly than with two of my personal favourite 2018 dictionary newbies – hangry and me time. And before I go further if you’re wondering whether ‘newbie’ is legitimate I can confirm it is:
Newbie – noun – an inexperienced newcomer to a particular activity
Back to hangry and me time:
Hangry
Being hangry is now official. With its Oxford English Dictionary status confirmed in 2018 it is now a ‘proper English’ way to describe how it feels when hunger gets the better of you.
Hangry – adjective – bad tempered or irritable as a result of hunger
Me Time
Me Time – noun – Time spent relaxing on one’s own as opposed to working or doing things for others, seen as an opportunity to reduce stress or restore energy
‘Me time’ is real and I imagine very few people would turn down more of this precious commodity.
Keen to find out more?
Hopefully this leaves you intrigued as to what other newbies have made the cut so far in 2018 – if so here’s where you can satisfy your curiosity with the full lists of new entries:
And to keep abreast of recent updates check out the OEDs recent updates content.
