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A newly created word, phrase, or lexical usage that has entered standard English to describe emerging cultural, technological, or social phenomena.
From Ancient Greek νέος (néos, 'new') and λόγος (lógos, 'word'). The term 'neologism' was first recorded in English in 1772 to describe novel linguistic coinages. Every living language must generate new vocabulary to map changing technological realities, social structures, and cultural concepts. In contemporary English, neologisms emerge through compounding (crowdsource, paywall), blending (fintech, podcast), zero-derivation (ghosting, upvote), and metaphoric extension (cloud, stream). Lexicographers track neologisms through three distinct evolutionary stages: nonce word (created for a single occasion), institutionalization (widespread adoption across media and communities), and codification (formal inclusion in authoritative dictionaries like the Oxford English Dictionary and Merriam-Webster).
Test any English word to explore modern coinages and technological neologisms:
Verified English words exemplifying neologism (modern coinages) with Scrabble scores
Linguistic definitions, etymological origins, and tournament usage
Lexicographers require evidence of widespread, sustained, and meaningful usage across diverse independent publications, media, and communities over several years before admitting a neologism.