Merriam-Webster has just added over 1,000 new words to their dictionary, according to an announcement they released earlier this week.
The announcement lists a number of words the dictionary now recognizes: ‘binge-watch,’ to ‘throw shade,” and ‘train wreck’ all make the list.
The new additions also include a number of words commonly used and abused by campus social justice warriors: ‘microaggression’ and ‘safe space.’
While these words certainly have a political connotation, Merriam-Webster notes that the reason they select words to add to the dictionary is because of their usage.
“These are words that have demonstrated frequent and increasing use in a variety of sources, and are therefore likely to be encountered by a reader—and should be in the dictionary,” the announcement notes. “In some cases, terms have been observed for years and are finally being added; in others, the fast rise and broad acceptance of a term has made for a quicker journey.”
While the term “safe space” has been around since 1970, according to the Merriam Webster dictionary, it has entered into popular use in recent years as more college students have called for them.
The dictionary defines a ‘safe space’ as “a place (as on a college campus) intended to be free of bias, conflict, criticism, or potentially threatening actions, ideas, or conversations.”
Microaggressions, which could also be considered a threat to safe spaces, are defined as “a comment or action that subtly and often unconsciously or unintentionally expresses a prejudiced attitude toward a member of a marginalized group.”
The first use of “microaggression” was in 1970, too.
It will come as no surprise one of the dictonary’s other new featured words: ‘first world problem.’
