neologism
Newly minted term
A neologism is a newly coined word or expression, or an existing word used in a new sense.
Language constantly generates neologisms—some catch on and become standard (internet, blog, selfie), while others fade.
The term itself combines Greek roots meaning "new word." In psychiatry, neologism also refers to invented words produced by people with certain mental disorders.
Word combining two others
- blendCombine into mixture
- acronymWord made from initials
- backformationWord formed by subtraction
- calqueBorrowed phrase translated literally
loanword · compound · clipping · derivation · affixation · wordsmith · coiner · protologism
Trendy jargon, often hollow
- hashtagLabeled link for posts
- viralSpreading quickly online
- slangInformal in-group vocabulary
- memeShared online humor
leet · emoji · influencer · trending · zeitgeist · pop-culture · jargon · vernacular
Smallest meaningful language unit
- lexemeFundamental dictionary unit
- semanticsStudy of linguistic meaning
- lexicographyCompiling word reference books
- etymologyWord origin study
phonology · lexicon · polysemy · synonymy · collocation · lexicology · syntax · morphology
New device or method
- noveltyQuality of being original
- originalityNovel creative quality
- creativityCapacity for original thought
- breakthroughSudden important advance
coinage · pioneering · cutting-edge · avant-garde · trailblazing · modernization
Specialized professional vocabulary
- terminologySubject-specific vocabulary
- technobabbleFake scientific-sounding nonsense
- cyberspaceVirtual electronic network environment
- blogosphereCollective web journal network
netizen · malware · spyware · freeware · webinar · podcast · vlog · fintech
portmanteau
Word combining two others
- blendCombine into mixture
- acronymWord made from initials
- backformationWord formed by subtraction
calque · loanword · compound · clipping · derivation · affixation · wordsmith · coiner · protologism · word-formation
buzzword
Trendy jargon, often hollow
meme · leet · emoji · influencer · trending · zeitgeist · pop-culture · jargon · vernacular · argot
morpheme
Smallest meaningful language unit
- lexemeFundamental dictionary unit
- semanticsStudy of linguistic meaning
- lexicographyCompiling word reference books
etymology · phonology · lexicon · polysemy · synonymy · collocation · lexicology · syntax · morphology · pragmatics
invention
New device or method
- noveltyQuality of being original
- originalityNovel creative quality
- creativityCapacity for original thought
breakthrough · coinage · pioneering · cutting-edge · avant-garde · trailblazing · modernization
jargon
Specialized professional vocabulary
- terminologySubject-specific vocabulary
- technobabbleFake scientific-sounding nonsense
- cyberspaceVirtual electronic network environment
blogosphere · netizen · malware · spyware · freeware · webinar · podcast · vlog · fintech · biotech
- languagelanguage, word, words, grammar, spelling
- vocabularyword, words, new words, term, terms
- language usejargon, idiom, idioms, slang, dialect
- etymologyword origins, word history, word origin, etymon, root words
- linguistic termsacronym, anagram, antonym, synonym, homonym
- linguistics termssynonym, antonym, homonym, grammar, phonetics
neologismcliché
Overused, unoriginal expression
platitude · bromide · stock phrase · tired expression · banality