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In linguistics, a neologism (; also known as a coinage) is any newly formed word, term, or phrase that has achieved popular or institutional recognition and is becoming accepted into mainstream language. Most definitively, a word can be considered a neologism once it is published in a dictionary.
Neologisms are one facet of lexical innovation, i.e., the linguistic process of new terms and meanings entering a language's lexicon. The most precise studies into language change and word formation, in fact, identify the process of a "neological continuum": a nonce word is any single-use term that may or may not grow in popularity; a protologism is such a term used exclusively within a small group; a prelogism is such a term that is gaining usage but is still not mainstream; and a neologism has become accepted or recognized by social institutions.
Neologisms are often driven by changes in culture and technology.McDonald, L. J. (2004). The meaning of e- : neologisms as markers of culture and technology.Forgue, Guy (1978). "American Neologisms as a Reflection of Cultural Change since 1945". Proceedings of a Symposium on American Literature: 199–211. Popular examples of neologisms can be found in science, technology, fiction (notably science fiction), films and television, commercial branding, literature, jargon, cant, linguistics, the visual arts, and popular culture.
Examples of 20th-century neologisms include "laser" (1960), an acronym of "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation"; "robot" (1921), from Czechoslovakia writer Karel Čapek's play R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots); and " agitprop" (1930), a portmanteau of the Russian " agitatsiya" ("agitation") and "propaganda").
Neologisms can become popular through memetics, through mass media, the Internet, and word of mouth, including academic discourse in many fields renowned for their use of distinctive jargon, and often become accepted parts of the language. Other times, they disappear from common use just as readily as they appeared. Whether a neologism continues as part of the language depends on many factors, probably the most important of which is acceptance by the public. It is unusual for a word to gain popularity if it does not clearly resemble other words.
In an academic sense, there are no professional neologists, because the study of such things (e.g., of cultural or ethnic vernacular) is interdisciplinary. Anyone such as a Lexicography or an Etymology might study neologisms, how their uses span the scope of human expression, and how, due to science and technology, they now spread more rapidly than ever.
The term "neologism" also has a broader meaning, of "a word which has gained a new meaning". (2025). 9781403917232, Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9781403917232Sally Barr Ebest Writing from A to Z: the easy-to-use reference handbook 1999 – p. 449 "A neologism is a newly coined word or phrase or a new usage of an existing word or phrase."Lynne Bowker, Jennifer Pearson Working With Specialized Language 2002 p. 214 "Neologisms can also be formed in another way, however, by assigning a new meaning to an existing word." Sometimes the latter process is called "semantic shifting" or "semantic extension".Ole Nedergaard Thomsen Competing models of linguistic change: evolution and beyond 2006 – p. 68 "Extensions, by contrast, are applications of extant means in new usage. Note that since individual speakers differ in their command of their shared tradition of speaking, one person's Extension may be experienced by another as a Neologism"Michael D. Picone Anglicisms, Neologisms and Dynamic French 1996 – p. 3 "Proceeding now to the task of defining terms, I will begin with the more general term 'neologism'. ...A neologism is any new word, morpheme or locution and any new meaning for a pre-existent word, morpheme or locution that appears in a language. ... Likewise, any semantic extension of a pre-existent word, morpheme or locution.. but is also, by accepted definition, a neologism." Neologisms are distinct from a person's idiolect, one's unique patterns of vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation.
Neologisms are usually introduced when a concept is lacking a term, or when an existing term lacks detail, or when a speaker is unaware of the existing term. The law, governmental bodies, and technology have a relatively high frequency of acquiring neologisms. Another motive for the coining of a neologism is to disambiguate a term that has multiple meanings.Cowan, Robert. "Shadow of a Doubt: A Phantom Caesura in Horace Odes 4.14." Classical Journal, The 109.4 (2014): 407–417.
The title of a book may become a neologism, for instance, Catch-22 (from the title of Joseph Heller's novel). Alternatively, the author's name may give rise to the neologism, although the term is sometimes based on only one work of that author. This includes such words as "Orwellian" (from George Orwell, referring to his dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four) and "Kafkaesque" (from Franz Kafka).
Names of famous characters are another source of literary neologisms. Some examples include: quixotism, referring to a misguided romantic quest like that of the title character in Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes; Ebenezer Scrooge, a pejorative for Miser based on the avaricious main character in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol; and Pollyanna, referring to people who are unfailingly optimistic like the title character of Eleanor H. Porter's Pollyanna.
Verlan (), ( verlan is the reverse of the expression "l'envers") is a type of argot in the French language, featuring inversion of in a word, and is common in slang and youth language. It rests on a long French tradition of transposing syllables of individual words to create slang words. Some verlan words, such as meuf ("femme", which means "woman" roughly backwards), have become so commonplace that they have been included in the Petit Larousse.See the Petit Larousse itself. These words are also given on the Larousse website: keuf meuf ripou Like any slang, the purpose of verlan is to create a somewhat secret language that only its speakers can understand. Words becoming mainstream is counterproductive. As a result, such newly common words are re-verlanised: reversed a second time. The common meuf became feumeu.
Neologisms spread mainly through their exposure in mass media. The genericize of brand names, such as "coke" for Coca-Cola, "kleenex" for Kleenex facial tissue, and "xerox" for Xerox photocopier, all spread through their popular use being enhanced by mass media.Sayadi, Forough (April 2011). "The Translation of Neologisms". Translation Journal.
However, in some limited cases, words break out of their original communities and spread through social media. "DoggoLingo", a term still below the threshold of a neologism according to Merriam-Webster, is an example of the latter which has specifically spread primarily through Facebook group and Twitter account use.Boddy, Jessica (April 23, 2017). "Dogs Are Doggos: An Internet Language Built Around Love For The Puppers". National Public Radio. The suspected origin of this way of referring to dogs stems from a Facebook group founded in 2008 and gaining popularity in 2014 in Australia. In Australian English it is common to use diminutives, often ending in –o, which could be where doggo-lingo was first used. The term has grown so that Merriam-Webster has acknowledged its use but notes the term needs to be found in published, edited work for a longer period of time before it can be deemed a new word, making it the perfect example of a neologism.
In the scientific community, where English is the predominant language for published research and studies, like-sounding translations (referred to as 'naturalization') are sometimes used. Alternatively, the English word is used along with a brief explanation of meaning. The four translation methods are emphasized in order to translate neologisms: transliteration, transcription, the use of analogues, and Calque.
When translating from English to other languages, the naturalization method is most often used.Lindblad, Jonathan. 2017. "Translation strategies of H.P. Lovecraft's neologisms into Japanese." Networked Digital Library of Theses & Dissertations The most common way that professional translators translate neologisms is through the Think aloud protocol (TAP), wherein translators find the most appropriate and natural sounding word through speech. As such, translators can use potential translations in sentences and test them with different structures and syntax. Correct translations from English for specific purposes into other languages is crucial in various industries and legal systems. Inaccurate translations can lead to 'translation asymmetry' or misunderstandings and miscommunication. Many technical glossaries of English translations exist to combat this issue in the medical, judicial, and technological fields.
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