A neologism is a relatively recent or isolated term, word, or phrase that may be in the process of entering common use, but that has not been fully accepted into mainstream language. It is not formally accepted but many (if not most) people know what it means. Neologisms often enter into a language from a book, movie or event (like the coronavirus pandemic)
Some examples are:
- [insert word here ]gate
- app
- backne
- banana republic
- beatnik
- bff
- bingo wings
- BLM
- boho
- Brangelina
- Brexiteer
- bromance
- bunny boiler
- cancel culture
- cankles
- catch-22
- chick flicks
- covidiot
- crowdsourcing
- cyberspace
- doomscrolling
- droniquette
- factoid
- fanfic
- fanzine
- fatberg
- feminazi
- frenemy
- glamping
- gremlin
- Grinch
- guy-cry movies
- hangry
- hipster
- larping
- lockdown
- mansplaining
- manspreader
- maskne
- meme
- metrosexual
- muffin top
- phishing
- photobombing
- pingdemic
- scrooge
- selfie
- slash fiction
- spam
- stan
- staycation
- superspreader
- support bubbles
- troll
- Twitterati
- vaguebooking
- WFH
- workaholic
- youthquake
My favourite recent neologisms
- begpackers (backpackers who beg to enable themselves to keep travelling. Usually in Asia)
- hobosexual (a person who moves in with a partner very quickly so that they have a place to stay)
- voluntelling (when you volunteer someone else for something)
- copypasta (copy paste)