From Girlboss To Rizz: Merriam-Webster Dictionary Makes 690 Gen Z Terms Official, Check Out How Many Of These Do You Know

If you have ever been on the internet for longer than a minute, it is likely that you came across some questionable language. Gen Zers have a way of making everything their own, whether it be 90s fashion or age-old traditions. Now, it seems the young ones have even wiggled their way into the English language.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary Adds 690 Gen Z Terms

Unsplash

It was recently announced by the official Merriam-Webster dictionary that 690 Gen Z terms were added to the list. Most of these words were terms that are frequently used on social media platforms like TikTok and Twitter (or X).

People often say that the Gen Z age is dominated by social media. Everything and anything on the internet affects our daily lives, and now it seems that slang from these platforms will now be officially used by English speakers.

To give you an insight into what this new generation of vocabulary is dealing with, let¡¯s get a taste of what some of these terms that have been added to the dictionary are. There¡¯s the word "grammable,¡± which talks about something that is worth posting on Instagram. Another bombastic addition was the frequently used term ¡°thirst trap,¡± which means something that desperately seeks attention.

Are You Familiar With These Gen Z Words?

Adding to these terms, some slang for already existing words also made it into the dictionary. Words like ¡°doggo¡± for dog, ¡°jorts¡± for shorts that are made of jeans, and "mid,¡± which is used as a synonym for "meh."

If you think these additions are far-fetched and unnecessary, then you are in for a rough ride. Other words that will leave boomers reaching for the dictionary again and again are rizz (charisma), zhuzh (make something stylish), and smishing (fraudulent message). These rather niche terms have also made their way into the official American English language, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary.

When Does A Word Qualify As An Official Term?

Pexel

Peter Sokolowski, the editor at Merriam-Webster, was excited about the new additions to the dictionary and said in a statement, ¡°We¡¯re very excited by this new batch of words. We hope there is as much insight and satisfaction in reading them as we got in defining them.¡±

The dictionary also explained with the help of an infographic that if a word is significant enough to the English language, used by a large number of people, and is consistently used in regular speech and employed in written content, it has a chance to land up with the others in the dictionary officially.

Tell us what you think about this in the comments below.

For more trending stories, follow us on Telegram.