As the world continues to evolve and change, so must the language around it — and that starts with much-needed improvement to the dictionary.
According to WVUE, more than 300 new words and definitions have been added to Dictionary.com during its latest updates.
The update includes words that focus on advances in technology, racial reckoning across the U.S., words that have become the new wave during the pandemic, and even pop-culture favorites like “trap house,” “yeet,” and “zaddy.”
A lot of the new additions are made up of words that have been in Black people’s vocabulary for years.
“We can thank Black social media for the fun — and multifunctional — smash slang hit of yeet, variously used as a joyful interjection or verb for forms of quick, forceful motions,” said Dictionary.com editors in a post about the updates. “We can thank artist Ty Dolla $ign for popularizing the zesty zaddy, an alteration of daddy that means ‘an attractive man who is also stylish, charming, and self-confident.'”
Let’s also talk about inclusivity according to the region! Thanks to the new updates, southerners can sleep a bit better at night knowing that “y’all” has been added to the dictionary as its own entry, separate from “you-all.”
This is a word that is now recognized by Dictionary.com as one that conveys a much more informal tone more than it does regional identity. It has also been noted as a word that has become increasingly popular among younger people thanks to its inclusivity.
“The latest update to our dictionary continues to mirror the world around us, said Dictionary.com’s managing editor, John Kelly. “It’s a complicated and challenging society we live in, and language changes to help us grapple with it.”
All 300 words that have been added to the dictionary are a reflection of the current realities of our ever-changing world.
