Merriam-Webster adds 530 words to dictionary, including 'dad joke'

The dictionary's editors announced that they have added more than 530 words to its pages in September, as well as 4,000 definition, etymology and pronunciation revisions.

The new words range from “serious to the playful, from the technical to the informal,” the website reads, as it has added words from pop culture, politics, sports, psychology and more.

Words that were added included the helpful "fatberg," which refers to a large mass of fat and solid waste that collects in a sewer system; "deep state," meaning an alleged secret network of especially nonselected government officials and sometimes private entities; "solopreneur," a portmanteau of solo entrepreneur; "caulrophobia," meaning an abnormal fear of clowns; and of course, the ever-important "dad joke," described as a wholesome (and typically corny) joke with an obvious punchline.


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