BIPOC, Hygge, Sapiosexual and Other 2021 New Vocabulary Words You Should Know
Well, a year has passed. And, like all the years, some new interesting terms have irrevocably entered our lexicon, as evidenced by their inclusion in the dictionary. Keep in mind that the word must circulate for a while – often years – before it comes to Merriam-Webster’s field of vision. (COVID-19 excluded: this bastard went from coin to dictionary entry faster than any other word – in 34 days.) So, while they may not be entirely new to you , in 2021 they were new to our dictionaries. How much do you know?
ASMR : Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. A pleasant, soothing “tingling sensation” that occurs on the back of the scalp and spreads downward in response to certain sounds, such as a whisper, crackle or wrinkle of paper, just to name a few. (We disagree with the descriptor “nice” here, but that’s just us.)
BIPOC : Black, Indigenous (and) Colored. An acronym that recognizes systematic racial and civil rights injustices faced by both blacks and indigenous peoples.
Decarceration : release from prison; the practice or policy of reducing the number of persons sentenced to imprisonment.
Deepfake : Digitally processed synthetic audio or video, often created using “deep learning” artificial intelligence, in which a person’s face or voice is manipulated to convey something that didn’t actually happen. Watch:disturbingly realistic deepfake videos by Tom Cruise .
Scrolling Death : (Alternative Option: Surfing Destiny). The act of wasting too much screen time watching disappointing or depressing news.
Don’t @ me : Translation: Don’t use my name (using my social media account) to challenge me to this opinion I’m about to share, which may or may not be offensive to certain people.
Elbow punch : punching in the COVID era.
Finna : Dictionary.com describes this new word as “a phonetic spelling representing the African American dialect of the English version of the fixation on.”
Flex (informally) : I’m not talking about muscle here. At least not literally. An informal definition refers to the act of showing off or showing off. Example: My biggest flexibility is that I did a Cracker Barrel commercial when I was 5 years old.
Hard pass : Hard rejection or firing. (Tea instead of coffee in the morning? Difficult.)
Hygge : (Pronounced hurray-gah .) Danish expression used to convey a mood or attitude towards coziness, pleasant communication and slowing down to find joy in everyday moments. Think mulled wine with friends, faux fur blankets, a clean work area, and fluffy socks.
Trucker : someone who experiences one or more long-term effects after an initial recovery from a “serious illness.” (We all know it’s COVID. Don’t try to act like it isn’t, Dictionary).
Makerspace : A shared collaborative workspace where “manufacturers” can create and improve personal projects (from LEGOs to robots).
Neurodivergent: An adjective describing a person whose brain functions differently from what is considered standard or “neurotypical.” Examples include: autism, ADHD, dyslexia, Tourette’s disease, and some chronic mental illnesses such as OCD, anxiety, and depression.
Performative : This word isn’t new, but the 2021 iteration is new. The full Merriam-Webster entry reads: ” Performative disapproval: done or done for show (to bolster one’s own image or make a positive impression on others).”
Sapiosexual : noun or verb: finding (or finding) the intellect sexually attractive or arousing.
Second Gentleman: Here: the long-overdue male equivalent of the Second Lady. When Kamala Harris was first elected, we had to come up with a word for the spouse of a female vice president. Hooray.
Twice exceptional : Also written as “2e”. A term to describe highly gifted people who also have neurodivergent learning difficulties .