made-up word
Coined linguistic creation
A made-up word is one invented rather than inherited from the language's history—coined deliberately rather than evolved naturally.
All words were made up at some point, but the phrase usually implies recent or obvious invention: Is "cromulent" a real word or just a made-up word from The Simpsons?
The term often carries dismissiveness, suggesting the word lacks legitimacy.
- neologismNewly created expression
- coinedCreated a new term
- inventedCreated something new
- fabricatedInvented, not real
- nonsenseMeaningless words or actions
gibberish · baby talk · portmanteau · slang · jargon · whimsy · playful · fictitious · fantasy · Seuss · Lewis Carroll · Jabberwocky · Dr. Seuss · pseudoword · gobbledygook · babble · word salad · creative