Language is forever evolving, with hundreds of words and phrases being added to the dictionary each year, according to the Oxford Dictionary.
In response to the pandemic, 2021 saw PPE, WFH (working from home), long covid, social distancing and furlough added to the dictionary, however, what words have been added to the dictionary in 2022?
Well, the team at Unscrambled Words have revealed some of the funniest words and phrases that have been added to the Oxford Dictionary from March to June 2022. Over 700 words and phrases in total were added, but here are some of the best.
Let’s take a look:
1. Bully Van
Meaning: A UK police van, distinct in size and colour.
Usage: “Here comes the bully van.”
2. Cringe Factor
Meaning: An element or aspect of a situation, or event that causes a person to cringe with acute embarrassment or awkwardness.
Usage: “His dancing has a very high cringe factor.”
3. Drooking
Meaning: A drenching or soaking.
Usage: “It’s raining so hard outside, I’m drooking.”
4. Fluthered
Meaning: Drunk, intoxicated.
Usage: “He’s drunk so much, he’s absolutely fluthered.”
5. Gaslighter
Meaning: A person who deceives and psychologically manipulates another into questioning his or her own perceptions or sanity.
Usage: “Lay off them. You’re a gaslighter aren’t you?”
6. Langered
Meaning: Very drunk; intoxicated.
Usage: “She was so langered at the wedding.”
7. Sass-box
Meaning: A sassy person; one who is impudent, impertinent, or cheeky. One who is self-assured, bold, or spirited.
Usage: “She is such a little sass-box.”
8. Sharenting
Meaning: The action or practice of sharing news, images, or videos of one’s children on social media websites.
Usage: “They are always sharenting.”
9. Sharesies
Meaning: In childish or playful language: the action of sharing something with another or others.
Usage: “Do you want some? Sharesies.”
10. Soysage
Meaning: A type of vegetarian (now typically vegan) sausage made with soy protein instead of meat.
Usage: “The café now serves soysage.”
11. Stress Bunny
Meaning: A person who is stressed or has a tendency to become stressed.
Usage: “My boss is such a stress bunny.”
12. Stress Eater
Meaning: A person who has a tendency to eat unhealthily in response to or as a means of coping with stress.
Usage: “I am such a stress eater.”
13. Unjabbed
Meaning: A person who has not undergone vaccination; unvaccinated.
Usage: “They haven’t had a vaccine, they’re unjabbed.”
14. Vaccine Hesitant
Meaning: Hesitant, reluctant, or refusing to be vaccinated (or to have one’s children vaccinated) against an infectious disease or diseases.
Usage: “He’s vaccine hesitant.”
15. Vaxxer
Meaning: A person who performs vaccinations.
Usage: “She’s got a new job as a vaxxer.”
A spokesperson from Unscrambled Words said: “Language changes every day to reflect the evolving world around us. New words and phrases are created through time and passed through generation to generation.
“Hundreds of new words such as these are added to the dictionary every year which slowly become part of our vocabulary. Through technological advancements and the ever-growing use of social media, language is evolving at a faster rate now than ever before.
“These words and phrases may be new to us in 2022, however in coming years they will be more widely incorporated into our vocabulary.”