Swole, Snowflake and Stan Added to Merriam-Webster Dictionary—but Do You Know What They Mean?

Huzzah! Merriam-Webster has added 640 new words to the dictionary and they’re pretty buzzy. (Yes, buzzy is one of this year’s additions.)

The new entries come from advances in science, pop culture (thanks, Eminem), new meanings for old words and more. 

Here are some of our favorites from the list: Stan (as in “we totally stan Ina Garten”), swole (referring to someone who’s super muscular) and go-cup (“a plastic or paper cup used especially for taking a beverage off the premises of a bar, restaurant”).

Oh, and how could we forget EGOT (see Audrey Hepburn, Whoopi Goldberg and John Legend for examples) or snowflake. By the way, the latter no longer only refers to pretty ice crystals. Now it can be used to mean both “someone regarded or treated as unique or special” and “someone who is overly sensitive.” It’s a word that has often been used to describe millennials (ouch). 

Other newly added words and phrases include gender non-conforming, gig economy, on-brand and screen time. 

Want to find out more about these new additions? Well, then today is not the day to unplug (“to temporarily refrain from using electronic devices such as computers or smartphones”). Check out more new additions on the dictionary’s website here.