Change has been a big part of 2020. And Dictionary.com, one of the leading dictionary websites, has embraced it as well.

The Dictionary website has recently announced an update of over 15,000 entries and an addition of 650 new terms. 

The update included changes to existing words such as capitalizing the word “Black” to represent the people as well as adding new terms to represent other cultures and ethnicities such as Afro-Latina, Afro-Latinx, Filipina, Filipinx, and more. The word “homosexual” has been replaced with “gay”. This decision was made to get rid of “the implication of a medical diagnosis, sickness, or pathology when describing normal human behaviors and ways of being.” 

The website has also added new slang terms such as, “GOAT” (Greatest Of All Time), “janky” (untrustworthy), and "zhuzh" (make something lively or appealing) as well as cultural standards like, “MAGA” and “MeToo”. 

Senior editor of Dictionary.com, John Kelly has said, “The work of a dictionary is more than just adding new words. It’s an ongoing effort to ensure that how we define words reflects changes in language - and life. Our revisions are putting people, in all their rich humanity, first, and we’re extremely proud of that.”

Sources: NPR, CNN