Looksmaxxing, cuffing season, vibe coding and more: US dictionary Merriam-Webster gets a ‘glow up’ with 1,400 new words

From “looksmaxxing” to “cuffing season” to “glow up”, the internet is filled with several words that only Gen Z and Alpha can decode. But worry not. The meanings of these words are now available in America’s oldest dictionary. Merriam-Webster has officially added 1,400 new words, including “shapewear,” “looksmaxxing”, and “meme coin”, to the US dictionary.

“The new entries reflect words and meanings that have demonstrated widespread use over time, offering a window into the world today,” it said in the release, as quoted by NBC News.

Cuffing season, vibe coding, superfood

Other internet-popular words and definitions that are now available in the dictionary are “parasocial,” “compute,” “vibe coding” and “superfood”.

Ahead of the year-end, Merriam-Webster also added “cuffing season” to its dictionary. It defines the word as “a time of the year when people who are not married or in a relationship begin looking for a short-term romantic partner to spend the colder months of the year with.”

Nod to AI

Amid the AI boom and its fearful impact on humans, the company added “uncanny valley” to the collection. It defines the term as “that creepy feeling that results from something artificial appearing almost—but not quite—human.”

Last year, Merriam-Webster added the word “slop”, which it described as “digital content of low quality that is produced usually in quantity by means of artificial intelligence.” It was the word of last year.

Sunday scaries, cake pop, chili crisp

The list of new words also included “Sunday scaries”. It refers to the feeling of anxiety, dread or uneasiness that is often experienced by people towards the end of the weekend.

Besides these, several words describing food have also made the cut this year. Words such as “superfood,” “cake pop,” “shishito,” “bao” and “chili crisp” are now a part of the dictionary. “Superfood”, another IG hit word, is also a part of the list. It typically refers to foods that come packed with high nutrients.

Word of the year

Meanwhile, Merriam-Webster has not yet announced the word of the year for 2026. It is usually announced by the company in the last quarter of the year.

The company updated on its website that it continues to add new words and phrases to its repertoire depending on frequency, popularity and meaning of words.

“The definer must judge whether there is enough evidence to put a new word in; that judgment will be reviewed by more senior colleagues as the dictionary moves through the editorial process, but there’s no committee, no advocacy, no meetings for new word inclusion,” it said.