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Yeet, Sus, Lewk: Merriam-Webster Adds Slang Words to the Dictionary

Among Us

Photo / Among Us on Steam

This is definitely not sus.

Merriam-Webster, America’s leading provider of language information for more than 180 years, has added 370 words to the dictionary. These include slang words such as yeet, janky, sus, and lewk.

According to Merriam-Webster, “the dictionary chronicles how the language grows and changes, which means new words and definitions must continually be added. When many people use a word in the same way, over a long enough period of time, that word becomes eligible for inclusion.”

The dictionary adds, “Words in this category have traditionally taken longer to meet our criteria, but that timeline is getting shorter as the internet accelerates the adoption of informal language.”

New words in the dictionary

yeetย interjection, slangย โ€” used to express surprise, approval, or excited enthusiasmย yeetย verbย :ย to throw especially with force and without regard for the thing being thrown

jankyย informalย :ย of very poor qualityย :ย JUNKY;ย alsoย :ย not functioning properly or adequatelyย :ย FAULTY

susย slangย :ย SUSPICIOUS,ย SUSPECT

lewkย slangย :ย a fashion look (seeย LOOK entry 2 sense 2c) that is distinctive to the wearer and that is noticeable and memorable to others

pwnย slangย :ย to dominate and defeat (someone or something)ย :ย OWN sense 1b,ย ROUT entry 2 sense 1a

adorkableย informalย :ย socially awkward or quirky in a way that is endearing

MacGyverย slangย :ย to make, form, or repair (something) with what is conveniently on hand

ballerย informalย :ย excellent, exciting, or extraordinary especially in a way that is suggestive of a lavish lifestyle

cringeย slangย :ย so embarrassing, awkward, etc. as to cause one to cringeย :ย CRINGEWORTHY

FWIWย abbreviationย for what itโ€™s worth

ICYMIย abbreviationย in case you missed it

Merriam-Webster also added new words in the dictionary for different categories, such as Business and Technology, The Virtual World, The Natural World and Being Out in It, Out of This World, Working, Banking, and Money, Health and Healing, Just Having Fun, and We All Have to Eat.

Some familiar entries include metaverse, laggy, side hustle, booster dose, LARP, pumpkin spice, and plant-based.

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