A Living Language
The English language is not a fixed, unchanging system—it is a living, breathing entity that constantly evolves to meet the communication needs of its speakers. New English words emerge every year, reflecting changes in technology, culture, science, politics, and daily life. At the same time, existing words gain new meanings, and some words gradually fade from use.
This dynamism is what makes the history of the English language so fascinating. The English spoken today is dramatically different from the English of Shakespeare's time, which was in turn very different from the English of Chaucer's era. The process of change never stops.
Major dictionaries add hundreds to thousands of new entries each year. Merriam-Webster, Oxford, and other publishers regularly announce batches of new words, generating media attention and public debate. But how exactly do new English words come into existence, and what determines whether they earn a place in the dictionary?
How New English Words Are Created
New words enter English through several well-established processes of word formation.
Derivation (Affixation)
The most common method of creating new words is adding prefixes or suffixes to existing words. The prefix "cyber-" has generated dozens of new words: cybersecurity, cyberattack, cyberbullying. The suffix "-ize" turns nouns and adjectives into verbs: prioritize, monetize, incentivize.
Compounding
Combining two existing words creates a compound word with a new meaning. Recent compounds include "binge-watch" (binge + watch), "crowdfunding" (crowd + funding), "fact-check" (fact + check), and "livestream" (live + stream).
Blending (Portmanteau Words)
Portmanteau words combine parts of two words: "brunch" (breakfast + lunch), "smog" (smoke + fog), "blog" (web + log), "podcast" (iPod + broadcast), "staycation" (stay + vacation), and "mansplain" (man + explain).
Abbreviation and Acronyms
Shortened forms of longer expressions sometimes become words in their own right. "Radar" (radio detection and ranging), "scuba" (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus), and "laser" (light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation) are all acronyms that have become everyday words. More recent examples include "FOMO" (fear of missing out), which has entered dictionaries as a standard word.
Conversion (Zero Derivation)
English freely converts words from one part of speech to another without changing their form. "Google" began as a proper noun (the company name) and became a verb ("to google something"). "Friend" has become a verb on social media ("she friended me"). "Adulting" uses "adult" as a verb with the suffix "-ing."
Borrowing
English has always borrowed freely from other languages, and it continues to do so. Recent borrowings include "emoji" (Japanese), "hygge" (Danish, meaning cozy contentment), "umami" (Japanese, a savory taste), and "schadenfreude" (German, pleasure in others' misfortune).
Back-formation
Back-formation creates a new word by removing what appears to be an affix from an existing word. "Edit" was back-formed from "editor," "televise" from "television," "babysit" from "babysitter," and "enthuse" from "enthusiasm."
Onomatopoeia
Some new words imitate the sounds they describe—onomatopoeia. "Buzz," "click," "ping," "zap," and "vroom" all entered the language this way.
How Words Enter the Dictionary
Not every new word that appears in speech or writing makes it into the dictionary. The major dictionary publishers follow a rigorous, evidence-based process for deciding which words to add.
Lexicographers look for three main criteria:
- Widespread use: The word must be used by many people, not just a small group.
- Sustained use: The word must be in use over a significant period of time, not just a brief fad.
- Meaningful use: The word must have a clear, stable meaning that can be defined.
Evidence comes from large text corpora—databases of billions of words drawn from books, newspapers, websites, social media, and transcribed speech. Lexicographers monitor these corpora for emerging vocabulary, tracking how new words spread across different sources and contexts.
Technology and New Words
Technology has been one of the most prolific sources of new English words in recent decades. The digital revolution has required entirely new vocabulary to describe concepts, devices, and behaviors that did not previously exist.
- Internet and social media: blog, tweet, hashtag, unfriend, selfie, troll, meme, viral, influencer, doomscroll
- Mobile technology: smartphone, app, emoji, texting, swipe, screenshot
- Computing: algorithm, cloud (computing), blockchain, cryptocurrency, machine learning, deepfake
- Digital culture: binge-watch, podcast, livestream, vlog, unboxing, FOMO, ghosting
Culture and Social Change
Social and cultural changes also drive vocabulary creation. New words emerge to describe new social realities, identities, and experiences:
- Work culture: gig economy, remote work, work-life balance, quiet quitting, hustle culture
- Health and wellness: mindfulness, self-care, plant-based, gluten-free, anti-vaxxer
- Social awareness: microaggression, intersectionality, gaslighting, cancel culture, woke
- Environment: carbon footprint, greenwashing, climate anxiety, rewilding, sustainability
Borrowing from Other Languages
English continues its long tradition of borrowing words from other languages. As global communication increases, English speakers encounter and adopt words from languages around the world. Recent and notable borrowings include terms from Japanese (tsunami, karaoke, emoji), Korean (K-pop, mukbang), and various other languages.
Notable Recent Additions
Here are some words that have been added to major English dictionaries in recent years, illustrating the range and diversity of new vocabulary:
- Doomscrolling: Compulsively scrolling through bad news on social media
- Metaverse: A virtual reality space where users interact with a computer-generated environment
- Deepfake: AI-generated fake audio or video that appears authentic
- Long COVID: Persistent symptoms following a COVID-19 infection
- Shrinkflation: Reducing the size of a product while maintaining its price
- Nepo baby: A person whose career success is attributed to having famous parents
- Rizz: Charm or the ability to attract a romantic partner (slang)
When Old Words Gain New Meanings
Sometimes the most significant vocabulary changes involve not new words but new meanings for existing words. This process—called semantic shift—has been occurring throughout the history of English:
- "Cloud" gained a computing sense (cloud storage, cloud computing) alongside its weather meaning.
- "Stream" now means to transmit or receive media content in real time.
- "Viral" has moved from medical terminology to mean widely shared on the internet.
- "Troll" has gained the meaning of deliberately provoking people online.
- "Mouse" added a computing device meaning to its animal meaning.
- "Friend" became a verb meaning to add someone to a social network.
Understanding how words change meaning is an important part of understanding how language works.
Resistance to New Words
New words often face resistance from people who feel they are unnecessary, ugly, or a sign of language decline. This resistance is as old as language change itself. In the 16th century, scholars objected to Latin borrowings as pretentious "inkhorn terms." In the 18th century, Jonathan Swift complained about shortened forms like "mob" (from mobile vulgus). Today, people object to "selfie," "mansplain," or "adulting."
Linguists generally take a descriptive rather than prescriptive view: if a word is used widely and meaningfully, it is a legitimate part of the language regardless of whether anyone approves of it. Language change is natural, inevitable, and ultimately enriching.
The Future of English Vocabulary
English vocabulary will continue to grow and change. Technology, global communication, cultural shifts, and scientific discovery will generate new words and new meanings. AI, space exploration, biotechnology, and virtual reality are likely to be particularly productive sources of new vocabulary in coming decades.
At the same time, the global spread of English means that vocabulary from diverse varieties of English around the world will increasingly influence the language's core vocabulary. English has always been a language that absorbs and adapts—and this openness to new words is one of its greatest strengths.