Words that defined the past five decades

Language is always evolving. Society innovates, the popularity of the Internet and social media is rising, trends come and go, and there are changes in the environment, society and culture. Language changes right along with it.

New words (also known as neologisms) are added to the dictionaries annually. We can paint a whole portrait of an era just by knowing certain words. We’ve picked some of our favorite neologisms that were coined during the past five decades. Are you ready to travel back in time?

1980s.

The 1980s are mostly characterized by freedom and changes in society. The early 1980s saw the first uses of AIDS, HIV and PTSD. At the same time, Americans coined new words in terms of relationships, society and the self. Some examples of words from this era include: chill out, N-word, G-spot, codependent, couch potato, and stressed-out.

• Text messaging (n.): communication by means of electronic devices, particularly via cell phone. Specifically found in 1981 as in “The communications company offers a text messaging service in order to keep traders informed of stock prices.”
• Yuppie (n.): a young urban professional. Specifically found in 1984 as in “It was brunch, and the yuppies were out in force, drinking rosé and taking pictures of their food.” The term comes from the first letters of young urban professionals (YUP).
• Channel-surf (v.): to switch from channel to channel on the television quickly. Specifically found in 1986 as in “Late-night channel-surfing was her favorite pastime.”

1990s.

The 1990s were marked by the advance of the Internet and cable television, multiculturalism and gender issues, and the sexual revolution. Some examples of words from this era include: spam, webinar, heteronormative, cisgender, spoiler alert, and booty call.

• Fashionista (n.): a very fashionable person. Specifically from 1993 as in “With her stylish looks and daring haircuts, the influencer was known as a fashionista.”
• Blog (n.): a website with a writer or a group of writer’s essays or thoughts; a post or entry on such a website. Specifically found in 1999 as in “Caroline posted a defensive screed on her blog about how all the haters were just out to get her.” The word is an abbreviation of the older term weblog (as in web log).
• Meh (int.): an expression of boredom or apathy.

2000s.

The growth of the Internet contributed to globalization and social media became the world’s favorite way to stay in touch, get news, and share personal information. This rise in popularity has made it much easier for new slang to be adopted by the public. Some examples of words from this era include: vlog, google, binge-watch, sexting, podcast, bucket list.

• Unfriend (v.): to remove someone from a list of friends on social media, particularly Facebook. Specifically found in 2007 as in “He logged on to find that his ex had unfriended him and all of his friends.”
• Paywall (n.): a system where access to some or part of a website is blocked except for paid subscribers. Specifically found in 2004 as in “After four articles, the rest of the newspaper was hidden behind a paywall.”
• Google (v.): to search the internet for information about a person, topic, etc.

2010s.

The 2010s are an era when our general lexicon was mostly influenced by people of marginalized groups, communities of color and new products and services. Some examples of words from this era include: bae, to catfish, emoji, to ping, selfie, mansplain, self-care, Netflix and chill, to shazam.

• Manspread (v.): to sit with one’s legs far apart, particularly in a shared space, such that you take up more than your own seat (particularly of men). Specifically found in 2014 as in “When the guy sitting next to her tried to manspread, she glared at him and used her purse to claim her space.”
• Bae (n.): an affectionate term used to address or refer to one’s girlfriend, boyfriend, spouse, etc.
• Facepalm (n./v.): the gesture of placing the palm of one’s hand across the face, as to express embarrassment, frustration, disbelief, etc.

2020s.

This decade started with a number of additions connected to COVID-19. Some examples of words from this era include: contactless, coronavirus, WFH, social distancing, anti-vaxxer. Not every word is connected to pandemic: BIPOC, sapiosexual, flex, silver fox, ASMR, jedi.

• Hygge (n.): the feeling of coziness and contentment evoked by simple comforts such as being wrapped in a blanket, having good conversations, enjoying food, etc.
• Long hauler (n.): a person who experiences symptoms or health problems that linger or first appear after supposed recovery from an associated acute illness or active infection.
• Doomscrolling (n.): the practice of obsessively checking online news for updates, especially on social media feeds, with the expectation that the news will be bad, such that the feeling of dread from this negative expectation fuels a compulsion to continue looking for updates in a self-perpetuating cycle.