Woke

The term ‘woke’ was originally used in African-American communities to highlight awareness of injustice, especially racism. It more recently came to be used as a pejorative among the politically right to critique progressive policies and movements. A complex and evolving new word meaning.

Deepfake

One of the first words to enter the public domain from artificial intelligence research. An image or recording convincingly altered to falsely depict someone doing or saying something they didn’t actually do or say.

Biodiversity

First used in 1985, ‘biodiversity’ describes the variety of life, coined to emphasize the critical importance of species diversity and conservation worldwide. Since the 1992 Earth Summit, the term has gained widespread popularity.

Explore 90 years of new words

From wartime to the AI era, explore how each word reflects its time, showing how language shapes who we are and our future.

1930s

The 1930s language captures societal shifts and innovation. Terms like ‘babysitter’ reflect evolving family roles, ‘evacuate’ echoes wartime impact and ‘nylon’ marks material breakthroughs. ‘Gay’ redefines identity and ‘jukebox’ highlights African American music influence, shaping modern conversations.

Babysitter • Burrito • Evacuate
Falafel • Gay • Jukebox
Multicultural • Nylon • Video

1940s

Shaped by war and emerging lifestyles, the 1940s vocabulary includes ‘bikini,’ linking fashion to history, and ‘blockbuster,’ emphasizing cinema’s cultural power. ‘Vegan’ and ‘staycation’ reflect shifts in lifestyle and travel, capturing changes preserved in our language today.

Bikini • Blockbuster • Buzzword
Cool • Deli • Disc jockey
Nuclear • Panini • Staycation • Vegan

1950s

The 1950s introduced words of innovation, fusion and entertainment. Surprisingly, ‘artificial intelligence’ dates back to this decade, while ‘disco’ and ‘rock’n’roll’ define music culture. These terms reveal evolving interactions with technology and leisure.

Artificial intelligence • Cliffhanger • Disco
Graffiti • Jollof • Rock'n'roll
Sitcom • Virus • Wok

1960s

The 1960s words reflect transformative cultural shifts. ‘Baby boomer’ shows demographic change, ‘hippie’ embodies counterculture and ‘gentrification’ spurs urban debate. Global cinema gains ground with ‘Bollywood’ and ‘reggae’ while ‘multiverse’ hints at new realities.

Baby boomer • Bollywood • Bruh
Gentrification • Hippie • Homophobia
Multiverse • Reggae • Supermodel • Vibes

1970s

In the 1970s, language captures tech advances, social critique and rebellion. Terms like ‘app’ and ‘virus’ bridge biology and technology, while ‘punk’ symbolizes counterculture and ‘hip hop’ marks musical innovation. These words continue shaping today’s dialogue.

App • Brainiac • Curry
Hip hop • Karaoke • Punk
Virus • Whataboutism

1980s

Reflecting tech, social and environmental awareness, 1980s terms like ‘cell phone’ revolutionise connectivity, ‘glass ceiling’ addresses workplace inequality and ‘biodiversity’ and ‘sustainability’ emphasise ecology. ‘Avatar’ and ‘virtual’ signal the digital age’s arrival.

Avatar • Biodiversity • Cell phone • E-book Glass ceiling • Greenwash • Hacking
Intersectionality • Sustainability • Virtual

1990s

This decade’s language captures the digital boom and social awareness. ‘Web’ and ‘Google’ signal the internet’s rise, ‘carbon footprint’ underscores environmental concern while ‘emoji’ and ‘blog’ introduce new self-expression forms, reshaping communication.

Bling • Blog • Carbon footprint
Chillax • Cloud • Emoji • Google
Metaverse • Queer • Spam • Web

2000s

The 2000s words reveal digital impacts on media and social dynamics. ‘Hashtag’ and ‘selfie’ highlight social media culture, ‘crowdfunding’ and ‘podcast’ foster new interactions while ‘Nollywood’ celebrates global cinema and ‘mansplain’ challenges gender norms.

Cringe • Crowdfunding • Declutter
Hashtag • Mansplain • Nollywood
Photobomb • Podcast • Selfie

2010s

2010s vocabulary reflects digital culture and shifting norms. ‘Catfish’ and ‘deepfake’ address online deception, ‘ghosting’ and ‘situationship’ reframe dating and terms like ‘woke’ and ‘forever chemicals’ showcase rising social justice and environmental consciousness.

Catfish • Deepfake • Delulu
Edgelord • Forever chemicals • Ghosting
Situationship • Woke • Zaddy • Zoomer

2020s

The 2020s language captures today’s pop culture, pandemic effects and digital habits. ‘Barbiecore’ and ‘bubble’ reflect aesthetic trends and pandemic vocabulary, ‘doomscroll’ highlights digital anxieties and ‘rizz’ showcases evolving dating slang, revealing modern fascinations.

Barbiecore • Bubble • Doomscroll • Rizz