From reality shows to gaming, the influence of Generation Z is evident in the evolution of the English language.
According to a report by the BBC, over 3,200 new words and phrases have been incorporated into the Cambridge Dictionary this year. While slang and everyday language are known to shift often, Wendalyn Nichols, the publishing manager at Cambridge Dictionary, shared with the BBC that these additions have “staying power.”
One notable new entry is “the ick,” which the BBC attributed to the reality series “Love Island.” The Cambridge Dictionary defines it as “a sudden feeling of dislike towards someone or something, or a loss of attraction to someone due to something they do.” Examples of usage include, “I used to like Kevin, but when I saw him in that suit it gave me the ick,” and “Pet rats give me the ick.”
Another term related to affectionate interactions is “boop,” described in the dictionary as “a gentle hit or touch on a person’s or animal’s nose or head, showing fondness or intended as a joke.” Example sentences include, “The viral video showed an adorable golden retriever getting boops on his nose,” and “She greeted me with a friendly boop on the head.”
A bridge across the River Cam between the St John’s College’s Third Court and New Court in Cambridge. (Tu xa Ha Noi via Getty Images)
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New terms from the gaming world have also made their way into the dictionary, such as “speedrun,” which originated to refer to completing a video game or a portion of it as swiftly as possible, often exploiting glitches. The term’s usage has expanded to other areas of life, as illustrated by sentences like, “I tried to speedrun college but it affected my mental health,” and “He gets up late but he always speed runs his morning shower.”
Colin McIntosh, the program manager for Cambridge Dictionary, noted to the BBC, “These gaming-inspired words are also shaping our offline conversations.”
“Side quest” serves as another example; once a gaming term for undertaking optional adventures separate from the main narrative, it now applies to real-life contexts. For instance, “After making a side quest to search for shoes, we continued with the primary task of shopping for a wedding dress.”
Other phrases have more subtle origins, like “chef’s kiss,” representing a typical gesture made by chefs that now indicates something deemed perfect or excellent. One might say of a television series, “It was a chef’s kiss to have the character leave the series in that manner.”
Gamers play at the Microsoft Corp. XBox stand during the Gamescon video games trade fair in Cologne, Germany, on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023. (Photographer: Alex Kraus/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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IYKYK, short for “if you know you know,” is frequently used on social media and in texts to denote a shared understanding or joke that might not be comprehensible to everyone else.
Alongside these new entries, the Cambridge Dictionary maintains a blog to track additional emerging terms, noting that “Some will undoubtedly be fleeting, while others may gain traction and ultimately become part of our dictionaries.”
For instance, “pebbling” references how penguins give small stones as gifts, but for humans, it refers to “the act of sending small gifts or sharing memes, photos, or videos on social media to express love.”
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Another term tied to familial relations is “airport dad,” describing a father who takes charge of holiday planning and prefers to arrive at the airport exceedingly early, or anyone who exhibits similar behavior when traveling with a group.
A more niche term, “Swiftonomics,” discusses “the economic impact on a city or country caused by the singer Taylor Swift and her popularity.”
