If the dictionary of the modern day net has left you scratching your head , do n’t fret , Internet refinement acquire at a breakneck speed , with apps like TikTok and platform like Twitter serving as petri dishes for the next handful of buzzwords . Merriam - Webster is assay its best to recognize this , and is officially add some Internet slang to the dictionary .
Sometimes the meme cultivation of the cyberspace can feel like a completely dissimilar language , and Merriam - Webster is recognizing this dialect . The company hasannounceda whole bunch of new Logos being added to the titulary lexicon — with a exceptional group of slang words usually thrown around on the interwebs . candidly , Merriam - Webster is the publication equivalent of “ How do you do , fellow kids ? ” and this tilt just proves my point . I mean , seriously , take a look at this smattering of newly inaugurated watchword :
yeet , as an interjection — “ used to express surprise , favourable reception , or delirious enthusiasm ”
At this rate, “Ok boomer” will make the cut in five years.Image: Peter Gudella (Shutterstock)
yeet , as a verb — “ to discombobulate especially with force out and without regard for the thing being thrown ”
janky – of very poor timbre
sus — “ suspicious , suspect ”
lewk — “ a fashion aspect that is classifiable to the wearer and that is noticeable and memorable to others ”
pwn — “ to dominate and defeat ( someone or something ) ”
adorkable — “ socially awkward or quirky in a direction that is endearing ”
Do you see what I mean fellow zillenials ? It ’s pitiful , truly .
More specifically , I have n’t find out the word “ lewk ” used in ( belike ) months , the parole “ adorkable ” has n’t been used since The Big Bang Theory was on the breeze , and “ pwn ” is one of the most common remnant of other 2010 ’s gambling culture . Merriam - Webster acknowledges that they ’re behind the curve , and that ’s me putting it kindly , by stating in their release that “ the net accelerate the adoption of informal language . ” So it seems that Merriam - Webster is trying to play catch - up to the runaway train that is the phylogenesis of Internet slang expression .
It ’s important for me to guide out that while these slang words have been vulgarise through societal media and video biz acculturation , a majority of that snappy Internet slang that Gen Z loves to yeet around did not really originate on the cyberspace — it has instead been co - opted from nonage community , specifically from Black people .
Take “ sus ” for example , which was late generalize by the on-line murder mystery game Among Us . While the origins are a little hazy , Inversediscusses how the Scripture emerged from the calamitous community at the beginning of the societal media era . Words and phrases like “ bet , ” “ period , ” and “ yas ” have roots in African American Vernacular English .
All this to say the Internet moves really fast , and it ’s crucial to remember that the slang we apply in our day - to - day emerges from a persecuted dialect , and that these root are not appropriately reflected in the institution of Merriam - Webster ’s dictionary , however cringy that dictionary may be .
CultureInternet slangTikTok
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