Merriam-Webster recently added 850 new words and definitions to its dictionary. Here are some of the words added in 2018:
Wordie – a word lover (patterned after foodie and groupie)
Demonym – person who comes from a specific place, like Hoosier or Parisian
Wanderworts – a word borrowed from another language, often resulting from trade or adoption of newly introduced items or cultural practices (like harissa – a spicy North African paste made with chilies; tzatziki – Greek yogurt sauce; kabocha – a kind of Japanese pumpkin; and kombucha – a fermented and effervescent tea drink)
Cryptocurrency and initial coin offering referring to the first sale of Bitcoin-like digital currency.
Unicorn – a start-up business that is valued at one billion dollars or more
Chiweenie – a dog that is a cross between a Chihuahua and a dachshund
Schnoodle – a dog that is a cross between a schnauzer and a poodle
Yorkie-poo – a dog that is a cross between a Yorkshire terrier and a poodle and especially a miniature or toy poodle
Glamping – enjoying the great outdoors but with indoor plumbing
Neoadjuvant – treatment for a disease or condition administered before the primary treatment in order to improve likelihood of a successful outcome, such as chemotherapy prior to surgery for some cancers
Silver Alert – modeled after Amber Alert, it informs the public when an elderly person goes missing.
Dumpster fire – an utterly calamitous or mismanaged situation or occurrence
Mansplain – to explain something to a woman in a condescending way that assumes she has no knowledge about the topic
Narcissistic personality disorder – a personality disorder characterized especially by an exaggerated sense of self-importance, persistent need for admiration, lack of empathy for others, excessive pride in achievements, and snobbish, disdainful, or patronizing attitudes
Use them and make these “new” words your own.
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It’s time for “Confusing Words of the Week” where I take a set of two or three words that get confused and give you definitions and try to give you a memory trick to help you remember when to use which word. If you have words that confuse you, use the Ask PTB tab on the website or send an email to 
It’s time for a review of recent blog posts just in case you’ve missed them. We call this Replay Thursday. Here are posts from Proof That proofreading blog and 60 Is The New 60 blog during the past week.
March 8 is National Proofreading Day. It is a day that was created to bring awareness to how important it is to proofread. National Proofreading Day promotes error free writing–and so do I! This message of National Proofreading Day is the message of Proof That proofreading blog and is set out in a blog post entitled “
