The world is still settling down with the “new normal” and the linguistic world is embracing newer words every single day. We saw a wave of new terms that the pandemic taught us, including pandemic itself, quarantine, social distancing, and whatnot. But the 2021 vocabulary makes newer additions to dictionaries around the world. When we welcomed the new year with the hope of returning to our old days, we also opened the doors to learning new things. And that’s why we thought of putting together a list of all the new words that found acceptance in the past month and a half.
Yes, the words from the 2021 vocabulary are new, but they will not be if you quickly embrace them and practice them. It’s still only February- you could become the “one” to introduce your group of people to these new words that have hardly just breathed into existence. So, with everything that’s already new, let’s delve into learning more newness.
2021 Vocabulary
Words that recently found an existence!
1. Flex
If you’re tired of people around you who simply cannot stop showing off, then the word flex from the 2021 vocabulary is just what you need! The act of bragging or showing off is the definition of flex. When people use it to express their power, it is called flexing. Nobody likes the act of flexing around them because it is a demonstration of superiority or dominance. For example, She’s flexing on her haters by posting new photos of her beautiful family.
2. Hygge
Isn’t it heavenly when you can take your comfort to the next level? Like, the level of coziness and comfort that leads you to feel contented in life and in that situation? Well, then that’s bringing hygge into your life. The hip and happening word from the 2021 vocabulary became a part of the Merriam Webster’s dictionary in January and is really catching up! They define it as a cozy quality that makes a person feel content and comfortable. For example, “Why not follow the Danish example and bring more hygge into your daily life?”
It sure sounds like the next word for your Instagram caption to express your vacation selfie!
3. BIPOC
Clearly, this word from our 2021 vocabulary is an abbreviation. It expands into Black, Indigenous, (and) People of Color. The word became prevalent in the year 2020 and became so common that it finally found a place and worth in the dictionary this year.
4. Silver Fox
The word has been around for several years but hadn’t found a place in the thesaurus until 2021. Finally, the dictionary makes the word/phrase an official one, which means an attractive middle-aged man having mostly gray or white hair. The definition is self-explanatory, and the word is one that will surely find more use than before. Here’s an example of how to use this word, George Clooney will perennially be the sexiest silver fox alive, despite distinguished competition from Steve Carrell, Dermot Mulroney, Richard Gere, and John Slattery.— Alex Apatoff
5. Wet Market
The 2021 vocabulary also contains some double words that make expressing things easier. A wet market is a kind of marketplace where you can buy and sell perishable goods like food, meat, and live animals. Here’s an example sentence used by Max Fisher when he expressed his concern during the coronavirus outbreak. Experts fear a similar regulatory failure may have enabled the coronavirus outbreak: the longstanding inability to clean up so-called wet markets, which are stuffed with livestock living and dead, domesticated and wild.
6. Cancel Culture
To begin with, too much of this culture isn’t too good for professionalism. It means to dismiss someone or something or reject an idea or individual. It doesn’t create a very healthy environment for working since it causes negativity and doesn’t make the person or group realize how they are being unfair. But sometimes, people also practice this kind of mass canceling to boycott famous people for some of their actions/words. Most of this takes place on social media.
More terms like cancel culture warriors and cancel culture movement arose from this base word. An example of using this new word from the 2021 vocabulary is, Cancel culture is supported as a tool to stop offensive and harmful behavior, while others find it problematic and toxic.— Elise Krumholz.
If you’ve heard or read more words like these, let us know in the comment section below. Some of these new words from the 2021 vocabulary may not seem new but have surely found an official sense this year. All in all, they help us upgrade our vocabulary, which is something that word lovers cannot neglect. Try using them in your sentences because the more you do that, the better your chances of locking it in your vocabulary memory forever!
Here’s a quick recap of the words we learned in 2020- 15 New Vocabulary Words 2020 with Meaning: Vocabulary Builder
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