Dictionary.com adds 500 words — ‘nepo baby’ and ‘crypto-fascism’ make cut

It’s a new chapter for Dictionary.com.

The online dictionary added 566 new words to its database Wednesday, as well as 348 new definitions for existing entries and 2,256 revised definitions.

The new sayings, which include words like “jawn” and “shower orange,” were added to “represent the always-evolving nature of English and our lexicographers’ neverending efforts to document it.”

“As you can imagine, recording the ever-changing language is incredibly enjoyable while also being intellectually stimulating,” Grant Barrett, head of lexicography at Dictionary.com, told USA Today.

“Even though dictionary-making is what we do, we’re still delighted with the variety, depth and complexity of this big batch of terms,” Barrett’s statement continued. “There’s so much that shows how vibrant the language is, as it keeps up with changes in culture and society.”

The outlet also updated entires to replace binary-gendered phrases like “he,” “her,” “his” and “she” with “they,” “their,” or other similar words to be more inclusive.

Some were re-written to avoid using a pronoun at all.

In December, Cambridge Dictionary changed its meanings of “man” and “woman.”

The grammar resource’s definitions were revised to include people who identify as a man or woman, despite being assigned a “different sex at birth.”

Meanwhile, a Dictionary.com category was expanded to encompass different definitions of various types of artificial intelligence.

“ChatGPT,” the controversial and popular AI platform, is defined as “a type of machine learning algorithm that uses deep learning and a large database of training text in order to generate new text in response to a user’s prompt.”

Dictionary.com also devised a definition of “chatbot,” which it says is “a computer program designed to respond with conversational or informational replies to verbal or written messages from users.”

In its “health and wellness” category, it defined “decision fatigue,” which is the “mental and emotional exhaustion resulting from excessive or relentless decision-making, especially the cumulative effect of small decisions that one makes throughout each day,” as well as “stress eating,” known as “emotional eating, especially in response to stress, tension, or anxiety.”

Definitions for “sextortion,” “greenwashing,” “crypto-fascism” and “nepo baby” were also added.

The last time Dictionary.com had a large word update like this was in February, when it added definitions of common, modern-day phrases like “petfluencer” and “deada–.”

It also defined “trauma dumping,” which is to share intense, traumatic information or emotions with others unsolicited.

And, in July 2021, it added the pop culture terms “zaddy,” “oof,” “s–tshow” and “trigger warning.”