Merriam-Webster added 455 new words and phrases to its online dictionary.

 

 

 

Check out the top 15 words and phrases that’ve been used the most this year.

 

 

  1. Dad bod:  A physique regarded as typical of an average father.

 

  1. Faux-hawk:  A hairstyle resembling a Mohawk in having a central ridge of upright hair, but with the sides gathered or slicked upward or back instead of shaved.

 

  1. Four new pandemic-related terms were added:  Breakthrough cases . . . super-spreader . . . long covid . . . and vaccine passport.

 

  1. Doorbell camera:  A small camera designed for use on an exterior door, that includes or connects to a doorbell.

 

  1. Amirite:  Slang for the phrase “am I right,” but spelled A-M-I-R-I-T-E.

 

  1. FTW:  An abbreviated version of “for the win.”

 

  1. TBH:  Short for “to be honest.”

 

  1. Digital nomad:  Someone who performs their occupation entirely over the Internet while traveling.  Especially if they don’t have a permanent address.

 

  1. Teraflop:  A unit of measure for calculating the speed of a computer equal to one trillion.  The “flop” part stands for “floating-point operation.”

 

  1. Oobleck:  It’s a type of slime used in science experiments, made of corn starch and water.  It’s named after the Dr. Seussbook “Bartholomew and the Oobleck”.

 

  1. Fluffernutter:  A sandwich made with peanut butter and marshmallow.

 

  1. Air fryer:  A small electrical appliance for quick cooking of foods that uses convection currents.

 

  1. Ghost kitchen:  A commercial cooking facility used for the preparation of food consumed off premises.

 

  1. Fourth trimester:  The three-month period after giving birth, in which the mother recovers from childbirth and adjusts to being a mom.

 

  1. Whataboutism:  When you respond to an accusation of wrongdoing by claiming that an offense committed by someone else is similar or worse.  As in, “What about Vicky’s costume?  It’s just as offensive as mine.”
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