“Rizz”, “Dad Bod”, And More Added to Dictionary
Merriam-Webster has announced a major update to its Collegiate Dictionary. The 12th edition will add more than 5,000 new terms, marking the first print update in 22 years. While all of these words have already been available on Merriam-Webster.com, the new edition will be released on November 18th.
The list includes a mix of cultural slang, modern technology, and descriptive terms that have become part of everyday language. Among them:
- Beast mode: “An extremely aggressive or energetic style or manner that someone adopts temporarily to overpower an opponent in a fight or competition.”
- Dad bod: “A physique regarded as typical of an average father, especially one that is slightly overweight and not extremely muscular.”
- Dumbphone: “A cellphone that does not include advanced software features, such as email or an internet browser, typically found on smartphones.”
- Farm-to-table: “Involving or advocating the direct sale and distribution of food from its point of origin to customers.”
- Hard pass: “A firm refusal or rejection of something, such as an offer.”
- Love language: “A person’s characteristic means of showing love or care for another.”
- Petrichor: “A distinctive, earthy, usually pleasant odor that is associated with rainfall, especially when following a warm, dry period.”
- Rizz: “Romantic appeal or charm.”
- Side-eye: “A sidelong glance or gaze, especially when expressing scorn, suspicion, disapproval, or veiled curiosity.”
- Teraflop: “A unit of measure for the calculating speed of a computer equal to one trillion floating-point operations per second.”
The update reflects how English continues to evolve with culture, technology, and everyday life.
