Year | Word | Function | Definition |
2009 | Jeggings | Noun | A proprietary name for: tight-fitting stretch leggings for women, styled to resemble a pair of denim jeans. |
2008 | Photobomb | Noun | A photograph that has been spoiled by the presence of an unintended subject in the camera's field of view as the picture was taken |
2007 | Retweet | Noun | On the social networking service Twitter: an act or instance of posting a message, image, link, etc., originally posted by another user; (also) a message, etc., posted in this way. |
2006 | Crowdsource | Verb | To solicit assistance with (a problem, task, etc.) by means of crowdsourcing; to obtain or produce (information, content, etc.) by means of crowdsourcing. |
2005 | Sexting | Noun | The action or practice of sending or exchanging sexually explicit or suggestive messages or images electronically, esp. using a mobile phone. |
2004 | Podcast | Verb | To make a digital recording of a broadcast available on the internet for downloading. Also intr. |
2003 | Flash mob | Noun | A large group of people organised y means of the Internet, or mobile phone, or other wireless devices, who assemble in public to perform a prearranged action together and then disperse. |
2002 | Parkour | Noun | The discipline or activity of moving rapidly and freely over or arund the obstacles presented by an environment by running, jumping, climbing, etc. |
2001 | Bromance | Noun | Intimate and affectionate friendship between men; a relationship between two men which is characterised by this. |
2000 | Fauxhawk | Noun | A hairstyle resembling a Mohawk, in which the hair is styled upwards in a strip running from the front to the back of the head but the sides of the head remain unshaven. |
1999 | Bling | Noun | Ostentatious jewellery. |
1998 | Hacktivism | Noun | The practice of gaining unauthorised access to computer files or networks in order to propagate a social or political message. |
1997 | Muggle | Noun | In the fiction of J.K. Rowling: a person who possesses no magical powers. Hence in allusive and extended uses: a person who lacks a particular skill or skills. |
1996 | Gastropub | Noun | A public house which specialises in serving high-quality food. |
1995 | Scratchiti | Noun | Words or images engraved or etched (illegally) into surfaces in a public space. |
1994 | Dadrock | Noun | Rock music that appeals to an older generation, or is heavily influence by that or an earlier era, esp. the 1960s. |
1993 | Geeksville | Noun | A place or state characterised by geekiness. |
1992 | Poptastic | Adjective | Designating or relating to a very good recording or performance of pop music. Also more generally: fantastic, excellent. |
1991 | Nu skool | Adjective | Of or designating any of several styles of popular music which incorporate contemporary elements into an established genre. |
1990 | Emoticon | Noun | A representation of a facial expression formed by a short sequence of keyboard characters and used in electronic mail, etc, to convey the sender's feelings or intended tone. |
1989 | Crowd-surfing | Noun | The action of lying flat while being passed over the heads of members of the audience at a rock concert, typically after jumping into the audience from the stage. |
1988 | Beatbox | Verb | To make rhythmical sounds with the voice and mouth in imitation of the rhythms of hip-hop music. |
1987 | Bazillionaire | Noun | A person of enormous wealth. |
1986 | Channel Surf | Verb | To change frequently between television channels, esp. using a remote-control device. |
1985 | Gobsmacked | Adjective | Flabbergasted, astounded; speechless or incoherent with amazement. |
1984 | Shopaholic | Noun | A compulsive shopper. |
1983 | Air Guitar | Verb | To mime the action of playing a guitar, esp. to a recording or performance of rock music. |
1982 | Downloadable | Adjective | Of data, a file, etc.: able to be downloaded |
1981 | Chill pill | Noun | A (notional pill) used to calm or relax a person. |
1980 | Foodie | Noun | A person with a particular interest in food; a gourmet. |
1979 | Bagsy | Verb | To assert a claim or right to (something) by using the expression 'bagsy' to demand as one's due for being the first to claim. |
1978 | Gazillion | Noun | A very large (but indefinite) number or quantity (of something); chiefly in pl. |
1977 | Nip and tuck | Noun | Minor cosmetic surgery, esp. for the tightening of loose skin; an instance or the result of this. |
1976 | Punkster | Noun | A fan or performer of punk rock; = punk rocker n. |
1975 | Braniac | Noun | A very intelligent person; an expert. |
1974 | Internet | Noun | Originally (in form internet): a computer network consisting of or connecting a number of smaller networks. |
1973 | Recyclist | Noun | An advocate of the recycling of waste product; a recycler. |
1972 | Guilt trip | Noun | An episode of severe, often excessive or unjustified self-reproach, esp. one deliberately provoked by another person; a state of mind in which a person is preoccupied by overriding feelings of guilt. |
1971 | Reboot | Verb | Computing. To boot (a computer, operating system, etc.) again, esp. after a power failure or malfunction. Also intr. |
1970 | Laugh-out-loud | Adjective | Likely to cause one to laugh out loud; hilarious. |
1969 | Megastar | Noun | An exceptionally famous, well-publicised, or successful celebrity, esp. in the entertainment business. |
1968 | Gasp | Interjection | Used parenthetically to express mock horror, shock, surprise, dismay, etc. |
1967 | Mockney | Noun | An accent and form of speech affected (esp. by a middle-class speaker) in imitation of cockney or of the speech of Londoners. |
1966 | Computernik | Noun | A computer expert or enthusiast. |
1965 | Bada-bing | Interjection | Suggesting something happening suddenly, emphatically, or easily and predictably. |
1964 | Beatlesque | Adjective | Characteristic or reminiscent of The Beatles, their music or their cultural impact. |
1963 | Cyberculture | Noun | The social conditions brought about by widespread automation and computerisation. |
1962 | Blag | Noun | An attempt to obtain or achieve something by persuasive talk or plausible deception. |
1961 | Chocoholic | Noun | A habitual and prolific eater of chocolate; esp. a person who is very fond of chocolate. |
1960 | Bouffy | Adjective | Of clothing: puffed out, bulging. |
1959 | Beat poetry | Noun | Literary work produced by beat poets. |
1958 | Photocall | Noun | Originally: a summoning of theatrical or other performers to be photographed, esp. during a rehearsal or before or after a performance |
1957 | Oenophilic | Adjective | Relating to or designating an oenophile or oenophiles; wine-loving. |
1956 | Nitpick | Verb | To criticise (a thing) in an overzealous or pedantic fashion; to find fault with. |
1955 | Artificial intelligence | Noun | The capacity of computers or other machines to exhibit or simulate intelligent behaviour; the field of study concerned with this. Abbr. AI. |
1954 | Nowheresville | Noun | A largely unknown or uninteresting place, esp. a small rural town. |
1953 | Frenemy | Noun | A person with whom one is friendly, despite a fundamental dislike or rivalry; a person who combines the characteristics of a friend and an enemy. |
1952 | Noshery | Noun | A restaurant; a snack bar. |
1951 | Blast-off | Noun | The initial thrust required to launch a rocket or the like into space; the launching of the rocket itself. |
1950 | Big bang | Noun | In cosmological theory: the rapid expansion of the universe from the extremely dense and hot initial state which marked its origin. |
1949 | Newspeak | Noun | Originally: the artificial language used for official propaganda in the dystopia of Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. Subsequently: any corrupt form of English; esp. ambiguous or euphemistic language as used in official pronouncements or political propaganda. |
1948 | TV | Noun | Abbrev. of television |
1947 | Queue-jumping | Noun | The action or practice of pushing into a queue in order to be served or dealt with before one's turn. |
1946 | Orbit | Verb | To travel round (esp. a celestial object) in an orbit. Also in extended use. |
1945 | Mobile Phone | Noun | A portable telephone. In later use: spec. = cellphone n. |
1944 | Gobbledygook | Noun | Official, professional, or pretentious verbiage or jargon. |
1943 | Beanie | Noun | A small close-fitting hat worn off the face. |
1942 | Ear-bending | Noun | A lengthy, boring, or ill-tempered diatribe (usually to one person); the action of delivering such a talk. |
1941 | Bad-mouth | Verb | To abuse or deprecate verbally; to criticise, slander, or gossip maliciously about (a person or thing); to disparage, ‘run down’. |
1940 | Acronym | Noun | A group of initial letters used as an abbreviation for a name or expression, each letter or part being pronounced separately; an initialism (such as ATM, TLS). |
1939 | Face-lift | Verb | To subject to a face-lifting operation or process (see face n.). Chiefly in extended use: to redesign, refurbish (something). Cf. facelift n. |
1938 | Bunny hop | Noun | U.S. An informal dance in which participants typically form a line and perform jumping and kicking movements. |
1937 | Freeloading | Noun | The action of freeload v.; sponging, scrounging. |
1936 | Do-gooding | Adjective | That does good; that tries to do good, esp. in a misguided way; = do-good adj. |
1935 | Al dente | Adjective | With reference to pasta, vegetables, etc.: (cooked) so as to be tender but still firm when eaten. |
1934 | Baddie | Noun | A bad or wicked person; a villain, esp. as a character in a play, film, etc. Cf. goody n.3 |
1933 | Mathlete | Noun | A person who takes part in a mathematics competition, esp. one organized for schoolchildren. Also in extended use. |
1932 | Eek | Interjection | Expressing (freq. mock) astonishment, alarm, horror, or surprise. |
1931 | Photomontage | Noun | Montage (montage n. 1b) that makes use of photographic images and techniques; (also) a picture made by this method; a montage constructed from photographic images. |
1930 | Clone | Verb | To propagate (an organism or cell) as a clone. |
1929 | Ciao | Interjection | An informal Italian greeting or farewell (also affected as a fashionable expression by English speakers): hello, good-bye. |
1928 | Party-crasher | Noun | A person who attends a party or other gathering without an invitation; an uninvited guest. Also in extended use. |
1927 | Air-conditioned | Adjective | Of a building, vehicle, etc.: that is equipped with an air-conditioning system; provided with air conditioning. |
1926 | Can-do | Adjective | Characterised by a willingness, confidence, and determination to take action, show initiative, and achieve objectives; positive, eager, enterprising. Freq. in can-do attitude. |
1925 | Freebie | Noun | Something that is provided or given free or without charge, freq. as a means of publicising or promoting something. |
1924 | Radio star | Noun | A popular performer on radio broadcasts; a radio celebrity. |
1923 | Hitch-hike | Verb | To travel by means of lifts in vehicles. Also fig. |
1922 | Gramophile | Noun | An enthusiast of the gramophone and gramophone records. |
1921 | Howzat | Interjection | ‘What about that?’, ‘how about that?’; spec. (Cricket) = how's that? at how adv. 2b. |
1920 | Housesharing | Noun | A living arrangement in which a number of people share a single (freq. rented) house. |
1919 | Airmail | Verb | To send (a letter, parcel, etc.) by airmail. |
1918 | Low-budget | Adjective | Having or requiring only a small budget; cheap (lit. and fig.). |
1917 | Chucklesome | Adjective | Humorous, amusing; full of laughter. |
1916 | Headlinese | Noun | The condensed, elliptical, or sensationalist style of language characteristic of (esp. newspaper) headlines. |
1915 | Back-to-nature | Adjective | Chiefly attrib. Designating a movement or enthusiast for reversion to a simpler way of life. |
1914 | Ice-skate | Verb | To skate on ice; to glide or travel across the ice on skates; to participate in ice-skating. Cf. skate v. 1a. |
1913 | Celeb | Noun | Colloq. (chiefly U.S.) abbrev. of celebrity n. 4 |
1912 | Yes-man | Noun | A man who agrees from self-interest or fear with everything put to him by a superior; an obsequious subordinate. |
1911 | Outdoorsy | Adjective | Associated with or characteristic of the outdoors; fond of an outdoor life. |
1910 | Melt-in-the-mouth | Adjective | Designating or characteristic of a cake, pastry, etc., that is deliciously soft and light. |
1909 | Nutarian | Noun | A vegetarian whose diet is based on or confined to nut products. |
1908 | Airliner | Noun | A passenger aircraft, esp. one belonging to an airline. |
1907 | Laugh-o-meter | Noun | Any of various devices used to measure or indicate the volume (or another quality) of laughter, and hence to gauge the humour of a performance, joke, etc. Also fig. Cf. clapometer n. |
1906 | Bootleg | Verb | To traffic illicitly in (liquor). Also in extended use. |
1905 | Hands-on | Adjective | Designating an attitude, policy, etc., characterised by involvement or intervention. Cf. hands off adj. 1. |
1904 | Rubbernecking | Adjective | Engaged in gawping or sightseeing. |
1903 | Doozy | Adjective | Remarkable, excellent; also, amazing, incredible. |
1902 | Nuanced | Adjective | Possessing or exhibiting delicate gradations in tone, expression, meaning, etc. |
1901 | Ballyhoo | Noun | Originally (at a carnival, etc.): a showman's touting speech, or a performance advertising a show. Hence (as mass noun): bombastic nonsense; extravagant or brash publicity; noisy fuss. |
1900 | Natterer | Noun | A person who fusses or natters; a chatterer. |