Editor’s note: Words listed below are not necessarily new in any meaningful sense, but are ones which have gained sufficient popularity so as to be included in or considered by, Merriam Webster’s Dictionary, the Cambridge Dictionaries, or the American Heritage Dictionary, as of 2019.
New dictionary additions and considerations
algocracy – noun [U] UK / US /ˌæl.ˈgɑː.krə.si/ a social system where people are governed and important decisions are made by computer algorithms
bakuchiol – noun [U] /bə.ˈkuːtʃɪ.əl/ an ingredient that occurs naturally in a plant and is used in skincare with the aim of preventing wrinkles
chrono-nutrition – noun [U] UK /ˌkrɒn.ə.njuːˈtrɪʃ.ᵊn/ US /ˌkrɒn.ə.nuːˈtrɪʃ.ᵊn/ a way of eating based on the theory that when we eat, as well as what we eat, has an important influence on our health
geosmin – noun [C] From the science of smell, this word names a chemical element in the recognizable odor of recent rainfall called petrichor
jarfing – noun [U] UK /ˈdʒɑː.fɪŋ/ US /ˈdʒɑːr.fɪŋ/ wearing a jumper (UK) or sweater (US) wrapped around one’s neck and shoulders (from the words jumper and scarf)
lampshading – noun [U] /ˈlæmp.ʃeɪdɪŋ/ wearing a baggy top or short dress with bare legs and sometimes boots
qu·bit – noun [C] /ˈkyü-bət/ a unit of computing information that is represented by a state of an atom or elementary particle (such as the spin) and can store multiple values at once due to the principles of quantum mechanics
sadfishing – noun [U] /ˈsæd.fɪʃ.ɪŋ/ the practice of writing about one’s unhappiness or emotional problems on social media, especially in a vague way, in order to attract attention and sympathetic responses
shrobing – noun [U] UK /ˈʃrəʊ.bɪŋ/ US /ˈʃroʊ.bɪŋ/ wearing a coat around one’s shoulders (from the words shoulder and robing)
Silicon Gorge – noun [U] UK /ˌsɪl.ɪ.kən.ˈgɔːdʒ/ US /ˌsɪl.ɪ.kən.ˈgɔːrdʒ/ a region in the southwest of England, specifically the area around the city of Bristol, where numerous tech companies are located
stan – noun; verb [C] UK / US /st-ahn/ slang, often disparaging : an extremely or excessively enthusiastic and devoted fan; from Stan, name of such a fan in the song “Stan” (2000) by the American rap artist Eminem (Marshall Bruce Mathers III)
textavism – noun [U] /ˈtekst.ə.vɪ.zᵊm/ the use of text messages to try to persuade people to act in a way that will achieve a particular result, usually a political or social one
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