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title: Dictionary Adds Definitions for &#x27;Alt-Right,&#x27; &#x27;420,&#x27; &#x27;Slay&#x27;
description: The latest words added to Dictionary.com reflect American&#x27;s relentless preoccupation with politics and identity
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# Dictionary.com Adds 'Alt-Right,' 'Slay' and 'Black Lives Matter'

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by 

[Katy Steinmetz](https://time.com/author/katy-steinmetz/)


## Katy Steinmetz


Mar 30, 2017 12:00 PM UTC

by 

[Katy Steinmetz](https://time.com/author/katy-steinmetz/)


## Katy Steinmetz


Mar 30, 2017 12:00 PM UTC

The new words added to any dictionary tend to reflect whatever English-speaking culture has been obsessed with in the recent past, and the latest batch from Dictionary.com reflect American’s relentless preoccupation with politics and identity.

Among 300 new words that the Oakland, Calif.-based reference added on Thursday are terms ranging from [**alt-right**](http://www.dictionary.com/browse/alt-right?s=t) (“a political movement … composed of a segment of conservatives who support extreme right-wing ideologies”) to [**Black Lives**](http://www.dictionary.com/browse/black-lives-matter?s=t)[ **Matter**](http://www.dictionary.com/browse/black-lives-matter?s=t)(“a political and social movement … emphasizing basic human rights and racial equality for black people”); from [**dark money**](http://www.dictionary.com/browse/dark-money?s=t) (money spent “to influence political campaigns or other special interests” by organizations who “are not required to reveal their donors”) to [**white nationalism**](http://www.dictionary.com/browse/white-nationalism?s=t)(“white supremacy”).

---

> “”

---

Other identity-focused entries include [**hapa**](http://www.dictionary.com/browse/hapa?s=t) (a person who identifies “as both white and of Asian descent”) and [**blaxican**](http://www.dictionary.com/browse/blaxican?s=t) (a person who identifies “as both African American and Mexican-American”). There’s [**reverse racism**](http://www.dictionary.com/browse/reverse-racism?s=t) (“intolerance or prejudice directed at members of historically dominant racial groups”), [**ambivalent sexism**](http://www.dictionary.com/browse/ambivalent-sexism?s=t) (“a theory that sexism toward women is multidimensional”), and [**misogynoir**](http://www.dictionary.com/browse/misogynoir?s=t) (“the specific hatred, dislike, distrust, and prejudice directed toward black women”).

---

> “”

---


“Our users turn to us to define the words they see, hear, and read — and in today’s highly politicized world, we play a necessary role in helping users dissect the meaning of words heard in this period of political discourse,” Liz McMillan, CEO of Dictionary.com, said in a statement. 

Plenty of the new entries are more playful slang, like [**slay**](http://www.dictionary.com/browse/slay?s=t) (“to strongly impress or overwhelm someone”), [**hangry**](http://www.dictionary.com/browse/hangry?s=t) (“feeling irritable or irrationally angry as a result of being hungry”) and [**cheat day**](http://www.dictionary.com/browse/cheat-day?s=t) (“a day in which a person goes off a dietary regimen”). The editors also added a note for the new entry [**420**](http://www.dictionary.com/browse/420?s=t) (which refers to all kinds of things related to marijuana) that takes a stand on the annually nagging question of where that term comes from.

---

> “”

---


And there is an impressively robust entry for the [controversial](http://www.stylist.co.uk/people/feminism/bitchy-resting-face-resting-bitch-face-smile-women-feminism-hilary-clinton-joe-scarborough-ask-a-feminist) slang term **bitchface**, noting that it also goes by the names _resting_ _bitchface_, _bitchy resting_ _face_ and _chronic_ _bitch face_.

---

> “”

---

Here is a selection of other new additions.

**bama (n.)**: a person from Alabama or the southern U.S.

**Burkini (n.)**: the proprietary name of a type of bathing suit covering the torso, limbs, and head, worn by women or girls who want to keep their bodies completely covered, especially for religious reasons.

**dabbing (n.):** the act of performing a dance move that involves posing with one’s nose in the crook of a bent elbow at chest level while extending the other arm to the side at or above shoulder level, often as a celebratory posture in sports or other competitions.


**de facto segregation (n.)**: racial, ethnic, or other segregation resulting from societal differences between groups, as socioeconomic or political disparity, without institutionalized legislation intended to segregate.

**flat white (n.)**: a hot beverage consisting of espresso and non-frothy steamed milk.

**hackathon (n.)**: a usually competitive event in which people work in groups on software or hardware projects, with the goal of creating a functioning product by the end of the event.

**K-pop (n.)**: pop music from Korea.

**mic drop (n.)**: the act of intentionally dropping one’s microphone at the end of aspeech or performance, displaying a bold confidence that it has beenvery impressive or cannot be topped.

**otherness (n.)**: the quality or state of being perceived or treated as different, foreign,strange, etc.

**throw shade (v.):** to insult, criticize, or disrespect a person or thing in an indirect, artful manner.

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