‘Bed Rotting,’ ‘Girl Dinner,’ and Dictionary.com’s New 2024 Words

From “girl dinner” to “bed rotting," it can sometimes feel tough to understand the ever expanding lexicon used to describe modern life.

To keep up with the times, Dictionary.com added or updated more than 1,700 words on Tuesday. The new words reflect many of the trends that have emerged recently, including “barbiecore,” the all-pink aesthetic that blew up following the release of the Barbie movie last summer.

The new entries also reflect many of the anxieties unique to our time— “climate breakdown” and “global boiling,” for example, address the severity of climate change and its impact on public health.

"The intersection of language, learning, and culture is boundless, and we recognize that words have the power to shape thoughts, bridge gaps, and reflect our ever-evolving society," John Kelly, vice president of editorial at Dictionary.com, said in a press statement. "Our semi-annual New Words announcement is meant to support a greater understanding of where language is, where it might go next—and why the constantly expanding universe of words matters for our everyday lives."

Here are some of the new words and their meanings.

Enshittification

noun. The gradual degradation of an online platform or service’s functionality, as part of a cycle in which the platform or service first offers benefits to users to attract them, then pursues more and more profits at the expense of users.

Bed rotting

noun. The practice of spending many hours in bed during the day, often with snacks or an electronic device, as a voluntary retreat from activity or stress.

Girl dinner

noun. An often attractively presented collection of snacks that involve little preparation, such as small quantities of cold cuts, cheese, fruit, cherry tomatoes, etc., deemed sufficient to constitute a meal for one.

Mid

adjective. Mediocre, unimpressive, or disappointing.

Bussin’

adjective. Great; wonderful; amazing.

The ick

noun. A sudden feeling of disgust or dislike, often in response to the actions of another person.

Pretty privilege

noun. An unearned and mostly unacknowledged societal advantage that a person has by fitting into the beauty standards of their culture.

Barbiecore

noun. An aesthetic or style featuring playful pink outfits, accessories, decor, etc., celebrating and modeled on the wardrobe of the Barbie doll.

Read More: The Long, Complicated, and Very Pink History of Barbiecore

Slow fashion

noun. A movement among clothing producers and consumers that emphasizes eco-friendly, well-made clothing, maintenance and repair of garments to extend their lifespan, and a general reduction of one’s consumption of new clothing items.

Cozy

adjective. Relating to a genre of mystery stories with little suspense, explicit violence, or sexual content, often also having amateur sleuths and idyllic, intimate settings.

Greedflation

noun. a rise in prices, rents, or the like, that is not due to market pressure or any other factor organic to the economy, but is caused by corporate executives or boards of directors, property owners, etc., solely to increase profits that are already healthy or excessive.

Climate breakdown

noun. The collective effects of harmful and potentially irreversible trends in climate, specifically those resulting from unchecked global warming.

Global boiling

noun. A nonscientific term used to emphasize the trend toward and severity of extreme heat events, especially in regard to public health.

Extreme heat event

noun. Meteorology, Climatology. A heat event classified as being excessive enough to pose a serious threat to public health.

Food insecure

adjective. Having or characterized by limited or uncertain access to adequate food.

Bag holder

noun. Someone who retains an unprofitable investment rather than selling it at a loss, only to suffer an even worse loss when the investment eventually becomes worthless.

See the full list here.