Merriam-Webster Expands Dictionary with 1,400 New Terms Spanning Internet Culture, Food, and Modern Life

America's oldest dictionary publisher, Merriam-Webster, has updated its catalog with 1,400 new terms and definitions, capturing recent shifts in internet slang, food trends, and social habits.

The Springfield, Massachusetts-based company, which traces its origins back to 1843, noted that the updates highlight how everyday language naturally evolves over time.

Social Media Slang and Online Trends

A significant portion of the new vocabulary stems directly from online platforms and digital culture. Among the new inclusions are:

• glow-up: a noticeable transformation, often involving a major improvement in personal appearance or confidence.
• looksmaxxing: the practice of taking one or more sometimes extreme or dangerous measures intended to increase one’s physical attractiveness.
• vibe coding: utilizing artificial intelligence tools to build computer code.
• meme coin: a cryptocurrency named or themed after an online joke or viral image.
• trash panda: an affectionate colloquial name for a raccoon.
• Rickroll: to trick (someone) into hearing the song ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ by English singer Rick Astley.
• parasocial: a one-sided emotional connection with someone (especially a celebrity or fictional character) whom one does not know personally.
• uncanny valley: that creepy feeling that results from something artificial appearing almost—but not quite—human.
• crashout: A term describing an abrupt loss, breakdown, or dramatic defeat.

The focus on digital content follows the selection of "slop" as the Word of the Year for 2025, which is defined as "digital content of low quality that is produced usually in quantity by means of artificial intelligence." Merriam-Webster usually announces its official Word of the Year during the final months of the calendar year, though no selection for 2026 has been revealed yet.

Relationships, Emotions, and Lifestyle

The update also highlights changing lifestyle habits and social behaviors:

• cuffing season: a time of the year when people who are not married or in a relationship begin looking for a short-term romantic partner to spend the colder months of the year with.
• sunday scaries: feelings of anxiety or sadness that arise on Sunday from the knowledge that the weekend is almost over.

Other lifestyle additions include "yacht rock", which is defined as "a style of soft rock music originating in the 1970s and 1980s", "neckbeard" to describe throat-covering facial hair and its associated online subgroups, "shapewear" for form-fitting garments, and "California sober" for individuals who consume alcohol or marijuana while avoiding other substances. Psychological phenomena like the "Mandela effect" which describes shared false memories among large groups of people, and practical terms like "whack-a-mole" were also formally documented.

Food and Culinary Additions

Several additions celebrate evolving food preferences and popular dishes across North America:

• chili crisp: a crunchy, spicy condiment crafted from oil infused with peppers, garlic, or shallots.
• superfood: a food (such as salmon, broccoli, or blueberries) that is rich in nutrients.
• cake pop: a compressed ball of cake crumbs and icing that is dipped in a usually chocolate or sugary coating.
• shishito: a slender, usually mild chili pepper of East Asia.
• bao: a traditional stuffed steamed bread bun.

How Words Earn Their Spot

Merriam-Webster President Gregory Barlow noted that no existing entries were removed during this update. He emphasized that social media provides a rich environment for fresh vocabulary to take root and spread rapidly.

The selection process relies on staff editors who regularly scan books, speeches, and published articles to track word usage. Editors verify whether a term appears consistently across diverse contexts with a shared meaning before proposing its addition.

As the company explains on its website, "there’s no committee, no advocacy, no meetings for new word inclusion." Instead, an entry earns its spot "when it is used by many people who all agree that it means the same thing."