Editor's Corner

Greetings, fellow word nerds. I have more new words to share with you today. As I mentioned last time, Dictionary.com recently published their list of words that are being added to the dictionary for 2023. Last time, I shared words in two categories: Pop Culture and Slang and Artificial Intelligence.

Today I’m going to share words from the following categories: Modern Problems and Science and Tech.

You can be the first of your friends and family to popularize these words in your community. Go on! Be a trendsetter!

Modern Problems

· greenwashing (noun)

An instance or practice of promoting or affiliating a brand, campaign, mission, etc., with environmentalism as a ploy to divert attention from policies and activities that are in fact anti-environmentalist.

The ending -washing in greenwashing and sportswashing below comes from the verb whitewash.

· sportswashing (noun)

An instance or practice of rehabilitating the bad reputation of a person, company, nation, etc., or mitigating negative press coverage with a sports event, or an appeal to unify and reconcile groups in conflict by celebrating fans’ shared love of a game.

· crypto-fascism (noun)

Secret support for fascism.

Note that crypto- is used here as a combining form meaning “hidden” or “secret,” not as a reference to cryptocurrency (which is now often referred to as crypto for short).

· sextortion (noun)

Criminal behavior in which a perpetrator illicitly obtains sexually compromising material, such as images, and then threatens to publish it or harm the victim in other ways unless further material or a sum of money is surrendered.

A blend of sex and extortion.

· jugging (noun)

A theft committed by a perpetrator who waits at a bank, near an ATM, or outside an expensive store, watches for customers who might be carrying a large amount of cash or goods, and then follows them to steal the money or goods from the customer or from their car.

The word jugging is modeled on mugging. The word jug can be a slang term for a bank.

· hostile architecture (noun)

Design elements of public buildings and spaces that are intended to stop unwanted behavior such as loitering or sleeping in public by making such behavior difficult and uncomfortable.

· prison industrial complex (noun)

The network of government agencies and private industry that foster, benefit from, and contribute to mass incarceration, the imprisonment of large numbers of people.

Relatedly, this update also includes the newly added words decarcerate and decarceration, both used in the context of efforts to reduce the number of people in prison.

· crony capitalism (noun)

An economic system in which success in business is obtained through relationships to people in political power rather than through competition.

The word crony means a close friend, but it is often used negatively, especially in the context of business and politics.

· Big Pharma (noun)

Pharmaceutical companies considered collectively, especially with reference to their political and commercial influence.

The construction used to create this phrase, in which the word Big is paired with a specific industry (such as in similar phrases like Big Oil), usually carries a negative connotation.

Science and Tech

· biohacking (noun)

Strategic biological experimentation, especially upon oneself, using technology, drugs, hormones, diet, etc., with the goal of enhancing or augmenting performance, health, mood, or the like.

· algo (noun)

Informal for algorithm.

· bloatware (noun)

Unwanted software that is preinstalled on a newly bought device, especially when it negatively impacts the device’s performance.

· neobank (noun)

A digital bank, typically without a charter, that operates only online or on mobile platforms, providing some traditional banking services, such as checking and savings accounts, at low or no cost to customers.

· pessimize (verb)

To make less good, efficient, fast, functional, etc., especially in the context of computers or information technology.

The opposite of optimize.

That’s it for today. I’ll give you the final list of words that have been added to Dictionary.com next time! Enjoy the rest of your day.

Donna Bradley Burcher |Technical Editor, Advisory | jack henry™

Pronouns she/her/hers

9660 Granite Ridge Drive, San Diego CA 92123

Symitar Documentation Services

About Editor’s Corner

Editor’s Corner keeps your communication skills sharp by providing information on grammar, punctuation, JHA style, and all things English. As editors, we spend our days reading, researching, and revising other people’s writing. We love to spend a few extra minutes to share what we learn with you and keep it fun while we’re doing it.

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