Oxford English Dictionary

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Oxford English Dictionary

Oxford Press Word of the Year
CLICK, CLICK, CLICK

Oxford Word of the Year Is Trump’s Favorite Hobby

The term ‘rage bait’ beat ‘aura farming’ and ‘biohack’ after a public vote, with usage tripling in a year.

Tom Latchem

A very old dictionary with torn pages against white background.
SOUNDS ABOUT RIGHT

This Gen Z Favorite Is Oxford’s Word of the Year

Short for “charisma,” the word—favored by Gen Z and its younger counterpart, Gen Alpha—beat out other viral slang favorites.

Brett Bachman

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TONGUE TIED

Merriam-Webster Surprised by Its 2022 Word of the Year

After two years of COVID-heavy word searches that resulted in “pandemic” and “vaccine” being titled word of the year, 2022 offered a real shake-up.

Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling

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HINT: IT’S PANDEMIC-RELATED

You’ll Never Guess What Oxford’s 2021 Word of the Year Is

The winning word, according to a press release, “more than any other, has injected itself into the bloodstream of the English language in 2021.”

AJ McDougall

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WHAT A WORLD

‘Swole’ and ‘Omnicide’ Added to Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Body building and total annihilation were further defined this year.

Audrey McNamara

articles/2016/11/13/how-they-made-the-oed-user-friendly/161113-simpson-modernizing-oed-tease_sant60
Wordplay

How They Made the OED User-Friendly

The Oxford English Dictionary is the undisputed cream of the lexicographical crop, but who cares if no one consults this unwieldy behemoth? Its editors mean to change that.

John Simpson

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DEFINE THIS!

The Birth of ‘Slut’

It crops up in Chaucer, Johnson, Thackerey, and a host of other classic works of literature, and means something different almost every time. Has slut worn out its welcome?

articles/2013/12/02/photographer-kyle-thompson-elevates-the-selfie-to-self-portraiture/131201-jones-selfie-tease_hv3s7b
Millenial Artform

The Rembrandt of Selfies

A 21-year-old Chicago native captures the emotional impact of solitude in his haunting, surreal self-portraits.

Justin Jones

articles/2013/11/19/barneys-to-debute-holiday-window-displays-on-instagram-the-year-of-the-selfie/131018-selfie-mobile-tease-1_tk4obt
Fashion Cheat Sheet

'Selfie' Declared Word of the Year

The Fashion Beast Team

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OED

The Original Crowdsourcer

Does the Oxford English Dictionary belong naturally to the Internet? Josh Dzieza talks to the dictionary’s outgoing chief editor.

Josh Dzieza

Busy Boy

Oxford English Dictionary: Philip Responsible For Term 'Blue-Arsed Fly'

Tom Sykes

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