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15 Cool New English Words That Were Added to Our Dictionaries in 2015
Language is a living, evolving thing.
Thanks to globalization—the process of the world becoming more connected—the English language is now being spoken all around the world.
That means English is more alive and evolving faster than ever.
New English words are everywhere now. Our vocabulary is constantly growing, becoming more colorful and more diverse.
Some new English words are ones which have existed for a very long time, but are now used in unique combinations or have developed completely new meanings.
Other new English words appear out of nowhere, being invented by creative people or being modified by other languages.
Even more new English words are coming from the Internet, which is a powerful force for communication and creation.
Internet slang is very popular in every language, and it has quickly become part of our usual, real-life expressions, so we are constantly discovering new words and meanings.
New words are a wonderful thing to learn because they show the true beauty of language. They show us humanity’s creativity can never be exhausted.
They are also great for language learners to know, because new words are often very popular words. They will made you sound more cool and modern. Even if you do not use these new words when you are speaking, you will be able to understand what is meant when other people use them.
Plus, you will need to know new words if you want to understand what is really happening on the Internet!
When a new, weird word is used very frequently, it is sometimes worthy of becoming a part of dictionaries.
That’s totally awesomesauce (great), since more people have will access to these words and their true meanings—and these people can enjoy them and be gobsmacked (amazed) by them too!
Are you wondering what the newest words from this last year are?
And are you wondering which new English words were important enough to deserve a place in English dictionaries?
Well, that is exactly what you are going to discover here.
Keep reading!
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
15 Cool New English Words That Were Added to Our Dictionaries in 2015
Some of the terms are havey-cavey (existing for a short period of time, not permanent), but you still use them for the sake of earwigging (secret listening of someone’s conversation).
Being a hipster (a trendy, modern person who likes things that are not popular) is finally cool.
People will love you if you say new words that they have never heard or that they do not understand immediately.
You feel like they do not like you and your new words? NBD (No Big Deal, or not that important).
You will still look cool when you start using some of these words, and you will often teach people—even some native English speakers!—some new vocabulary thanks to your creative use of the English language.
You will need to know these to understand some conversations online and with younger English speakers—for example, all the words in bold above are relatively new English words that you will hear sometimes. Could you understand the above paragraphs if I did not define those words?
Now it is time to learn the best new English words of 2015. These were all just added to English dictionaries in 2015.
1. Weak sauce
You do not want to hear people calling you this.
It means something that is not good quality, or something that does not perform well.
The expression originates from the mild hot sauce at Taco Bell. It is a wanna-be sauce, since it is so weak that the spicy flavor is unnoticeable. It does not meet people’s expectations for hot sauce.
So, how was your date yesterday, man?
Weak sauce, my man, weak sauce…
2. Awesomesauce
This is a nicer word. It is used to describe something really cool.
I just got a promotion!
What? That’s awesomesauce!
3. SJW (Social justice warrior)
This is a noble term, but it is mostly used as a rude or sarcastic way to label activists, bloggers and social media commenters who get into hot debates with the aim to awaken other people.
These people usually promote socially progressive views. Socially progressive people usually want people to have more freedom, more justice and more equality. They believe that government and society exists to provide support and opportunities to people who need help.
However, social justice warriors are often said to take their opinions to extremes, argue aggressively and be offensive to people who do not agree with them. Of course, this is not always true.
Do you know that by refusing to neuter street cats in your area, you are responsible for the deaths of the kittens they will have? These little creatures will die of hunger and get killed by cars in traffic. You are a killer!
Oh, come on, don’t be such a SJW! What have you done to help?
4. Mic drop
The term describes an act of intentionally dropping the microphone (also called a mic for short) after an impressive performance. In its metaphorical meaning, it means leaving a discussion after you achieve an absolute victory.
Just do not forget that “mic” is pronounced like the English first name “Mike.”
My presentation was so successful. It was the ultimate mic drop.
5. Hangry
When the level of hungry goes into a new dimension, you are something more than just hungry: You’re hangry (hungry + angry). When you feel like this, you are bad-tempered and irritable—you are angry because you are so hungry.
You are late! Where have you been for so long? The table is set and I am so hangry I could slap you right now!
6. Manspreading
This phenomenon is kind of a big deal. It simply needed its own dictionary term.
It indicates a man who sits with his legs wide apart, especially when traveling on public transport. He leaves no space for someone to sit next to him, and he is simply an unpleasant sight.
I do not think that only men are the ones doing manspreading. I’m a woman and I find such discrimination offensive!
7. Beer o’clock
It’s the right time of day to start drinking beer. It usually indicates the end of working hours, but for some people it may be at any time of the day.
It’s almost beer o’clock, let’s finish all our work so we can leave, people!
8. Lookbook
Fashion designers make lookbooks—sets of photographs that promote their collections. The negative meaning can also indicate the photographs of pretentious people who can think only about fashion.
I saw your lookbook for this autumn. Everything looks beautiful!
9. Ear tickler
This is someone who pleases other people with paying them a lot of compliments. It may also indicate nice behavior, as well as music that is a joy to listen to.
She got a promotion because she’s the ultimate ear tickler.
10. Crema
You want to sound like you really know your coffee? Use this word, which is originally from Italian. It refers to the brownish, milky foam formed on the top of your fresh, hot, heavenly espresso. Latte artists make pretty designs out of crema.
One espresso with crema on top, please!
11. Manic pixie dream girl
This is a girl with vivid, unusual character. She is usually shown on screen as someone whose main purpose is to enjoy life to the fullest. She usually tries very hard to help a young man love and enjoy his life, too. This is a character you would expect Zooey Deschanel to play.
I don’t think a manic pixie dream girl is cool. This behavior is a sign of mental illness!
12. Dark web
This is the dark, scary part of the Internet we would all sometimes love to see. However, it is intentionally hidden from search engines with masked IP addresses. It is only accessible from a special web browser. This network exists between Tor servers and their clients.
If you do not understand those specific terms related to the Internet, that is okay. You will find many illegal and sketchy (weird, scary) things there, so you probably do not want to go anyway.
You are so mysterious. You look like someone who has access to the dark web.
13. Agender
People identify themselves as agender when they do not identify as male or female. They may identify with some male and female characteristics, or they may not identify with any gender characteristics at all.
I identify as agender.
14. NSFW (Not Safe for Work)
This is a label for Internet content that is not appropriate for the typical workspace. It is best not to access it in the presence of your boss.
Your Facebook profile picture is so dope (cool), but it’s very NSFW.
15. Click bait
This is online content of provocative or sensational nature, whose only purpose is to attract more visitors to a particular website.
My favorite news website started posting all kinds of click bait on its Facebook pages, so I no longer consider it a useful resource.
As we said, the English language is continuously being upgraded with new terms!
What are the coolest words and phrases you’ve learned lately?
Let us know on Facebook and Twitter!
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
