Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

neologism


Listen Later

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 22, 2025 is:

neologism • \nee-AH-luh-jiz-um\  • noun

Neologism can refer either to a new word or expression or to a new meaning of an existing word.

// I love seeing all the slangy neologisms that pop up on social media every year.

See the entry >

Examples:

"… [U]ndertakers refashioned themselves … as funeral directors over the span of a few decades in the early twentieth century. … [T]he new generation of morticians (another neologism meant to conjure expertise) bought up shambling Victorian mansions in swish residential districts and invented a new form of comfort." — Dan Piepenbring, Harper's, 2 Feb. 2024

Did you know?

The English language is constantly picking up neologisms. In recent decades, for example, social media has added a number of new terms to the language. Finsta, rizz, influencer, meme, and doomscroll are just a few examples of modern-day neologisms that have been integrated into American English. The word neologism was itself a brand-new coinage in the latter half of the 18th century, when English speakers borrowed the French term néologisme, meaning both "the habit of forming new words" and "a newly formed word." The French term, which comes from néologie, meaning "coining of new words," comprises familiar elements: we recognize our own neo-, with various meanings relating to what is new, as in neoclassical, and -logy, meaning "oral or written expression," as in trilogy.



...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Merriam-Webster's Word of the DayBy Merriam-Webster

  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5

4.5

1,229 ratings


More shows like Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

View all
This American Life by This American Life

This American Life

91,069 Listeners

Modern Love by The New York Times

Modern Love

8,861 Listeners

TED Radio Hour by NPR

TED Radio Hour

22,033 Listeners

Fresh Air by NPR

Fresh Air

38,506 Listeners

Hidden Brain by Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam

Hidden Brain

43,689 Listeners

TED Talks Daily by TED

TED Talks Daily

11,174 Listeners

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing by QuickAndDirtyTips.com

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

2,836 Listeners

Science Quickly by Scientific American

Science Quickly

1,383 Listeners

A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over by Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett. Produced by Stefanie Levine.

A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over

2,290 Listeners

Throughline by NPR

Throughline

16,204 Listeners

Life Kit by NPR

Life Kit

4,379 Listeners

Short Wave by NPR

Short Wave

6,420 Listeners

No Stupid Questions by Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

No Stupid Questions

3,652 Listeners

Word Matters by Merriam-Webster, New England Public Media

Word Matters

485 Listeners

How to Be a Better Human by TED

How to Be a Better Human

1,389 Listeners