Oxford Dictionary gets hep; adds 'Chillax', 'sumfin', 'Whatevs' & more

Hundreds of words have been recently added to the Oxford English Dictionary- words like Chirpse and arancini, in its updated version. More than 650 new words have been mentioned ranging from slang words such as “sumfin” and “whatevs” to terms directly derived from famous Hollywood films like Star Wars, such as the word “The Force” and "Jedi" which has been recently added.  

Oxford adds casual terms

Informal words like 'easy-breezy', meaning careless or casual, have been added in the new Oxford Dictionary. In order to spread awareness about the recent political scandals, the word “Fake News” has also been added, which according to the dictionary means “circulation of inaccurate and untrustworthy news stories, specifically on social media”  

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Other words representing millennials are, “Chillax”, meaning “to take it easy or to chill”, “Simples”, that means that something is very simple or straightforward, are also added to the new version.  

In the food section, the new terms added mostly represent the Hawaiian cuisine, such as “poke” as a dish of marinated raw fish served over rice, along with names of two American salads, cobb and wedge, have also been included.  Multiple meanings of words like “hanging” and “steaming” has been added, acquiring new alcohol-related definitions.  

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Terms in reference to social media

There's even references to social media as the dictionary. Nomophobia, defining it as 'anxiety about not having access to a mobile phone or mobile phone services'. 

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'Omnishambles' first used in satire The Thick of It, also makes it in after being used regularly to describe the chaotic state of British politics this year. However, on social media in Oxford today, not everyone was impressed with the new additions. 

In the new version, “hanging” also means a hangover whereas “steaming” means a state of intense inebriation. “ Promposal” has been added that romantically refers to “a person inviting someone on a date to school prom”. The Oxford English Dictionary publishes four new updated versions every year. 

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