These are new words or phrases that have caught my eye. My definition of a new word is one which is not in the Macquarie Dictionary online.
Some words seem to have more significance than others in terms of reflecting changes in the Australian culture, so I will give each word a Zeitgeist rating (ZG) within a range of 1-10.
If you disagree with the rating that I give, please argue your case in the comment field provided.
I would love you to contact me if you have made any new word discoveries of your own.
In the row that erupted between Prince Harry and the Chair of a UK charity that he co-founded, he was accused of bullying, and of misogyny AND misogynoir.
ZG: 3
An invented academic word that might be venturing into the mainstream.
An academic word, a feminist’s word, possibly becoming mainstream.
Read MoreNew technologies create new jargons, some of which become mainstream. Now that more of us have solar batteries on the roof, we are learning more about the flow of power to and from the grid.
ZG: 4
Not commonly known at the moment but possibly a word for the future.
Read MoreWasian is a blend of white and Asian. As is often the case with such terms, Wasians themselves are divided over whether the term is a badge of pride or a negative label implying racial ambiguity.
ZG: 6
There seems to be enthusiasm for these labels along with all the other social tags.
Read MoreAlso called AI psychosis, this is not a recognised medical condition and it does not, fortunately, affect the majority of us. It is characterised by an excessive reliance on chatbots leading to paranoia and delusions.
ZG: 7
There is considerable alarm in the community about the reach of AI into all our lives.
Read MoreThis appeared as an acronym standing for ‘Trump Always Chickens Out’ in a piece in the British Financial Times in May 2025 by journalist Robert Armstrong who argued that as soon as the American market experienced distress, Trump dropped the policy that was causing the pain.
ZG: 6
This will probably have a short life but at the moment it is a significant word.
Read MoreThe idea for this practice, called Lüften in German, is that once or twice a day you should open the doors and windows for five minutes to let the stale air out and the fresh air in.
ZG: 4
A trend in America which may or may not take off in Australia. Fresh air used to be easy to acquire but in the days of sealed houses and with the threat of mould we may need to take drastic action to get it.
Read MoreRun Nation has picked up an element of Rugby League to feature it as a sport in its own right.
ZG: 4
This unlikely sport has been gathering a bit of a following.
Read MoreEach new Olympics brings a new sport to our attention. This time it is skimo, the name being an abbreviation of ski mountaineering.
ZG: 3
Not even the Olympics was enough to give this sport much attention.
Read MoreThis is a translation of the Japanese nureochiba, literally, ‘wet fallen leaf’, a term used by Japanese women to denigrate their retired husbands who, suddenly stuck at home with no occupation and no friends, seem to be like a wet leaf stuck to the wife’s shoe.
ZG: 3
An interesting and vivid expression English has borrowed.
Not a common term but a bit of vivid imagery.
Read MoreI don’t know if you, like me, were puzzled by the comment made by U.S. Defence Secretary Peter Hegseth in explaining — justifying? — the snatching of Nicolás Maduro. ‘He effed around and he found out’.
ZG: 6
The phrase is probably more common in America than it is in Australia but FAFO parenting is trending.
Read MoreChick-lit we know. Bridget Jones’ Diary, published in 1996, was one of the first. Australian Indigenous author, Anita Heiss, decided to make use of the popular genre to introduce mainstream Australia to Indigenous culture and history. It was to be chick-lit with a purpose.
ZG: 5
The enthusiasm for creating various different lits has not slackened. This one should be popular this year.
Read MoreThis term originated in the world of hacking where attempts are made to discover a password. The hybrid attack combines two strategies.
ZG: 4
Not a common term yet but one we will encounter more frequently.
Read MoreI first talked about grief technology in May 2023 and then, more specifically, about a deadbot in July 2024, commenting that deadbot did not seem to be an appealing name. It seems that work on this AI front has progressed and we now have the grief bot.
ZG: 6
The emotional attachment to chatbots is causing alarm.
Read MoreA virtual power plant (or VPP which I am sure will become the standard name) is an amalgamation of all the small energy supplies from individual rooftop solar into one large reservoir of energy, a single power plant, which can be better managed in terms of its relationship to the grid.
ZG: 8
This is a concept with which we will all become very familiar in the not-too-distant future.
Read MoreThis is one of various tricks used in websites and apps to get unsuspecting users to spend more than they intended to or sign up for things they didn’t want. Government agencies and the legal community prefer to call these deceptive patterns, but in general use dark patterns has a more sinister ring to it. Echoes of the dark web.
ZG: 4
A term of internet analysis rather than general use.
Read MoreMore recently aura has come to be the equivalent of style. Someone who is supercool has aura. The Indonesian boy in this image has become the poster child for aura farming.
ZG: 7
Much discussed on social media in recent times.
Read MoreMankeeping, according to two sociologists at Stanford University, Angelica Ferrara and Dylan Vergara, is the work undertaken by the female partner in maintaining the social relationships and wellbeing of the male partner in a heterosexual relationship.
ZG: 4
A social analysis word that has been trendy.
Read MoreA wrestling match in which there are very few rules. The ring is formed with barbed wire rather than rope, there are thumbtacks on the floor and you can hit your opponent with fluorescent light tubes and wooden skewers. That’s the downside.
ZG: 3
Not everyone’s sport let alone cup of tea.
Read MoreA micromance is an instance of affectionate care shown by one partner to another, often in little ways rather than as a big extravagant gesture.
ZG: 4
It is surprising how popular these words for small moments of connection are at the moment.
Read MoreWe have heard about blood diamonds and blood minerals — diamonds and rare minerals sold to fund a conflict somewhere in the world. Now we have blood oil.
ZG: 5
This is an emotive term which will be employed in the Russia/Ukraine conflict.
Read More
