30 Now Common Words That Weren’t Around 30 Years Ago

Every word represents a decision about how certain letters combine to refer to an activity, object, subject, or feeling. As people keep inventing new things, more words and phrases are created to describe them.

24/7 Tempo reviewed several online English dictionaries for word definitions and meanings, including Merriam-Webster and Urban Dictionary, to create a list of 30 frequently used words that didn’t exist 30 years ago. Expressions and words that already existed but had different meanings were excluded — here are 36 popular words we use today but with new meanings.

The digital revolution has changed communication, facilitating it through social media. Our everyday vocabulary now contains many neologisms – newly coined words – expressing ideas we wouldn’t have understood before.

Many words on our non-comprehensive list are blends of two existing words used to describe a new term. Others combine Latin roots. Some were originally nouns but are now more popular as verbs. These are 30 Latin phrases that are still used all the time.

To create a list of 30 words that didn’t exist 30 years ago, 24/7 Tempo reviewed several online English dictionaries for word definitions and meanings, including Merriam-Webster and Urban Dictionary. We excluded expressions such as “social media.” Words that existed but had different meanings were also excluded. One example is the term “muggle,” which became popular after it was used by J. K. Rowling in its Harry Potter books. “Muggle” is nowadays used to refer to people who don’t have certain skills, but decades ago it was used as a colloquial term for marijuana.