Sunday scaries or chili crisp? The best new words added to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary

TechnologyLifestyle
21 Sep 2026 • 7:59 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

Sunday scaries or chili crisp? The best new words added to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary

  • Merriam-Webster has added 1,400 new words and updated definitions to its iconic dictionary, offering a window into our ever-changing vocabularies in the age of social media and technology.
  • Internet and social media culture feature heavily in the update, introducing terms such as looksmaxxing, parasocial, Rickroll, copium, promposal, and the cryptocurrency term meme coin.
  • Recent developments in artificial intelligence and technology inspired several new entries, including AGI (artificial general intelligence), vibe coding, uncanny valley, and compute used as a noun.
  • Modern cultural phenomena and emotional states are also recognised with definitions for cuffing season, Sunday scaries, crashout, California sober, shapewear, and Mandela Effect.
  • The dictionary update also incorporates a wide range of food terms, from superfood and cake pop to East Asian culinary additions like shishito peppers, bao buns, and chili crisp.
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