an ornamental garden at night, lit with bright colours, illustrating the concept of hortifuturism

New words – 25 December 2023

On December 25, 2023November 21, 2023 By Cambridge WordsIn New words5 Comments

hortifuturism noun [U]
UK /ˌhɔː.tɪˈfjuː.tʃᵊr.ɪ.zᵊm/ US /ˌhɔːr.t̬əˈfjuː.tʃɚ.ɪ.zᵊm/
a style of garden design that is often inspired by science fiction, featuring unusual plants, very bright colours and lighting that makes the garden look attractive at night

Expect to see bold and bright colors in 2024 with gardens that look straight out of a science fiction movie. Coined “hortifuturism” by Garden Media, the trend replaces cold, metallic hues with vibrant color. With this trend, the brand anticipates more terrariums, survivalist gardens, night gardens, neon-colored plants, and foliage with bright variegation.
[marthastewart.com, 27 October 2023]

electroculture gardening noun [U]
UK /iˈlek.trəʊˌkʌl.tʃə ˈgɑː.dᵊn.ɪŋ/ US /iˈlek.troʊˌkʌl.tʃɚ ˈgɑːr.dᵊn.ɪŋ/
a technique that involves putting metal that conducts electricity into the soil, which is thought to send electrical currents from the air to the plants, making them grow more quickly and produce bigger and healthier crops

YouTube and TikTok is alive with videos of gardeners using basic materials, like copper (pipes or wire), galvanised wire, and/or magnets, to vitalize the soil and reporting yield increases of 100%–300%. Electroculture gardening has been explained as: “it is not electricity as we know it, but a breath of energy, which stimulates and increases the vitality of the soil.” The process is a methodology to enhance the earth’s natural magnetism to benefit your plants.
[futuregarden.co.uk, 9 June 2023]

edimental noun [C]
/ˌed.iˈmen.tᵊl/
a plant that is both edible and ornamental, and usually lives for several years

Harry Holding created an entire show garden at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show based around the concept of edimentals. He explains the concept thus. “Edimentals are in the sweet spot of plants that both look nice, are edible, and generally live for three years or longer. Traditional food growing is more of a seasonal annual cycle, but with edimentals, once you’ve planted it or sown seeds, they are resilient and have longevity.”
[houseandgarden.co.uk, 28 June 2023]

About new words

a young woman smiling at her phone, against a pink background with red hearts, illustrating the concept of dexting

New words – 18 December 2023

On December 18, 2023October 31, 2023 By Cambridge WordsIn New words, the English language1 Comment

dexting noun [U]
/ˈdekst.ɪŋ/
exchanging many text messages with someone you have met on a dating app without ever meeting them in person

If you’ve ever found yourself in a back and forth texting marathon with a potential partner only to wind up with no actual in-person date to show for your time, you’ve probably been a victim of dexting. A combination of “dating” and “texting”, dexting is when people form strong bonds over text after meeting on a dating app but never actually arrange a real date.
[glamourmagazine.co.uk, 7 September 2023]

quiet dumping noun [U]
/ˌkwaɪ.ət ˈdʌm.pɪŋ/
gradually ending a romantic relationship with someone by never making more than the minimum amount of effort needed

Have you ever felt like someone’s pulling away from you? Maybe they’re avoiding a conversation, being aloof and non-commital when it comes to making plans? You could be experiencing quiet dumping. Unlike an explosive outburst and a tearing apart, quiet dumping is a slower and, well, a more quiet separation that usually leaves the dumpee feeling confused and understandably quite hurt.
[huffingtonpost.co.uk, 13 October 2023]

delusionship noun [C]
/dɪˈluː.ʒᵊn.ʃɪp/
a situation where a person imagines their romantic relationship with someone to be much more serious and committed than it is

You match with an attractive person on a dating app and exchange a few messages. Then, without warning, a dizzying daydream pops in your head. Walks on the beach together, picnic lunches, moonlit city strolls, all leading up to a whimsical wedding fantasy. Too bad none of that is real. You might, in fact, be in a “delusionship.”
[usatoday.com, 24 May 2023]

About new words

a young woman embracing her grandmother in a living room, illustrating the concept of grand-mates

New words – 11 December 2023

On December 11, 2023October 31, 2023 By Cambridge WordsIn New words, the English language1 Comment

grand-mate noun [C]
/ˈgrænd.meɪt/
a grandparent who shares a home with a grandchild, or a grandchild who shares a home with a grandparent

This new “grand-mates” trend is bringing about some truly heartwarming intergenerational bonding. The New York Times profiled a number of families who are “grand-mates,” and not one of them had complaints about it. The worst thing they could say was that sometimes the grandchildren weren’t as tidy as their grandparents would like. But there’s an easy solution: One grandma said, “I just keep the door to [my granddaughter’s] room closed.”
[aleteia.org, 10 November 2022]

blue zone thinking noun [U]
UK /ˌbluː zəʊn ˈθɪŋ.kɪŋ/ US /ˌbluː zoʊn ˈθɪŋ.kɪŋ/
a way of treating old people that sees them as an important part of society and encourages them to remain healthy and active

The best retirement home I’ve seen wasn’t a retirement home at all — it was an integrated living block in Austria, in which people of all ages lived together, with medical and care centres located on the ground floor, next to the children’s nursery. Homes could be adapted as your needs changed, there were restaurants, shops and clubs for all. This tallies with “blue zone thinking”, in which older people are integrated into society rather than put out to pasture.
[thetimes.co.uk, 24 September 2023]

zombie cell noun [C]
UK /ˈzɒm.bi ˌsel/ US /ˈzɑːm.bi ˌsel/
a cell that is damaged and can no longer multiply but remains in the body and can cause age-related disease

Scientists are working on drugs that kill “zombie cells” to help you live to 200. Zombie cells are a terror-inducing nickname for senescent cells, damaged cells that refuse to die. These damaged cells pile up as we age and lead to inflammation and altered stem cell function.
[honehealth.com, 29 June 2023]

About new words

a man smiling at his reflection in a hand mirror as he sits in a reclining chair in a medical setting, illustrating the concept of Brotox

New words – 4 December 2023

On December 4, 2023October 31, 2023 By Cambridge WordsIn New words, the English language6 Comments

Brotox noun [U]
UK /ˈbrəʊ.tɒks/ US /ˈbroʊ.tɑːks/
a humorous word for Botox when the procedure is given to a man

The rise of so-called Brotox is being reported in the UK, where the male grooming industry is worth an estimated £500 million a year. Celebrities aren’t immune from this trend. Plastic surgeons say that more and more male stars appeared to be “jumping on the Brotox bandwagon”.
[theweek.com, 12 August 2023]

perception drift noun [U]
UK /pəˈsep.ʃᵊn ˌdrɪft/ US /pɚˈsep.ʃᵊn ˌdrɪft/
someone’s inability to remember how their natural face looks after they have had a number of cosmetic procedures such as Botox

The term perception drift was first coined by a dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon. It happens when people get a series of procedures or tweakments and forget how they originally/naturally looked prior to aesthetic changes. Perception drift is when a person’s perception of change following an aesthetic treatment is skewed or inaccurate. In most cases, other people notice these changes, but not the ones who underwent the procedure.
[cutislaserclinics.com, 28 April 2023]

prejuvenation noun [U]
/priːˌdʒuː.vᵊnˈeɪ.ʃᵊn/
the act or process of using cosmetic procedures on someone who is still young to prevent them from looking older later

In the world of aesthetics, a new trend has turned into a lifestyle: prejuvenation. Younger patients are more interested in skincare and aesthetics than ever, suggesting that aesthetic enhancements shouldn’t be limited to corrective procedures. Prejuvenation refers to seeking preventative aesthetic procedures that postpone visible signs of aging instead of correcting problems after they occur.
[novaplasticsurgery.com, 27 June 2023]

About new words

an electric car parked outside a house, with a charging cable connecting the car to a device in the wall, illustrating the concept of V2H, or vehicle-to-home charging

New words – 27 November 2023

On November 27, 2023October 31, 2023 By Cambridge WordsIn New words, the English language4 Comments

V2H noun [U]
/ˌviː.tuːˈeɪtʃ/
abbreviation for vehicle-to-home: a system that allows electric vehicles to transfer the energy stored in their batteries back into the electrical system of a home

The idea is that electric vehicles, when not in use, often have surplus energy stored in their batteries. Rather than letting this energy go to waste, V2H systems enable the vehicle’s stored energy to be fed back into the home’s power grid, powering household appliances and systems. With V2H, EV owners can potentially save on their electricity bills and make more efficient use of their renewable energy resources, while also providing a backup power source for their homes.
[electriccarguide.co.uk, 19 October 2023]

bidirectional charging noun [U]
UK /ˌbaɪ.daɪˈrek.ʃᵊn.ᵊl ˈtʃɑː.dʒɪŋ/ US /ˌbaɪ.dɪˈrek.ʃᵊn.ᵊl ˈtʃɑːr.dʒɪŋ/
a system that allows the electricity put into the battery of an electric vehicle to be transferred out of the vehicle and used to provide electrical power for something else

One of the most talked about features in the EV world works only when your car is parked: Bidirectional charging allows owners to turn their vehicles into four-wheeled batteries, sending power back to their homes, appliances and even to the utility grid. Currently, bidirectional charging is available in only a handful of cars. But its popularity is growing: GM announced that the technology will come standard in all its electric vehicles by model year 2026.
[cnet.com, 4 September 2023]

charge rage noun [U]
UK /ˈtʃɑːdʒ ˌreɪdʒ/ US /ˈtʃɑːrdʒ ˌreɪdʒ/
anger or violence between a driver who is charging their electric vehicle and other drivers who are waiting in a queue to do so

Electric vehicle owners furiously arguing with each other over charging points because there aren’t enough of them available are having to get up in the dead of night to power up their motors. Such is the “charge rage” that marshals are being brought in to police frustrated drivers at motorway service stations.
[dailymail.co.uk, 3 October 2023]

See also road rage

About new words

close-up of a person using a laptop with one hand and a smartphone with the other, with overlaid graphics of speech bubbles and a stylised robot suggesting the use of an online chatbot, used to illustrate the concept of conversational commerce

New words – 20 November 2023

On November 20, 2023October 31, 2023 By Cambridge WordsIn New words, the English language1 Comment

conversational commerce noun [U]
UK /ˌkɒn.vəˈseɪ.ʃən.əl ˈkɒm.ɜːs/ US /ˌkɑːn.vɚˈseɪ.ʃən.əl ˈkɑː.mɝːs/
the use of chatbots and other machine learning technology to make people feel they are talking to a real person when they buy things, ask for advice etc. online

With conversational commerce, customers can get quick answers to important questions, easily purchase items without having to navigate through entire websites, and receive helpful suggestions based on their previously collected customer data, including personalized product recommendations.
[bloomreach.com, 24 August 2023]

immaculate disinflation noun [U]
/ɪˌmæk.jə.lət dɪs.ɪnˈfleɪ.ʃᵊn/
the situation where inflation falls but this does not lead to a rise in unemployment, which would usually be expected

Economists added yet another term to their lexicon in recent months: immaculate disinflation. While there’s no official definition of immaculate disinflation, the phrase is being used to describe a scenario where inflation cools without causing a spike in unemployment … President Joe Biden’s top economic adviser, Jared Bernstein, expressed skepticism about the term. “I wouldn’t call this disinflation immaculate,” he said.
[edition.cnn.com, 6 September 2023]

hyperphysical retail noun [U]
UK /haɪ.pəˌfɪz.ɪ.kᵊl ˈriː.teɪl/ US /haɪ.pɚˌfɪz.ɪ.kᵊl ˈriː.teɪl/
the activity of making a shop more visually appealing and creating interesting experiences for the people who go there

With consumers’ growing appetite for engaging shopping experiences, brick-and-mortar stores now have to find more imaginative ways to compete. That’s why some brands are reinventing their retail spaces to make them so spectacular that visiting them is an emotional experience. Adding sensory and emotional attractions to a shop is a new trend called “hyperphysical retail”.
[medium.com, 29 September 2023]

About new words

an abstract, pixellated pattern of connected pale blue lights on a dark blue background, with the word AI in blue lights in the centre

New words – 13 November 2023

On November 13, 2023October 17, 2023 By Cambridge WordsIn New words8 Comments

AGI noun [U]
/ˌeɪ.dʒiːˈaɪ/
ABBREVIATION FOR artificial general intelligence: a type of artificial intelligence that some people believe will be developed in the future, with the ability to learn to solve any kind of problem as well as, or better than, a human being

He defines AGI as AI systems that can solve any cognitive or human task in ways that are not limited to how they are trained. In theory, AGI, he says, can help scientists develop cures for diseases, discover new forms of renewable energy, and help “solve some of humanity’s greatest mysteries.”
[businessinsider.com, 27 May 2023]

See also artificial intelligence

Poltergeist attack noun [C]
UK /ˈpɒl.tə.ɡaɪst əˌtæk/ US / ˈpoʊl.t̬ɚ.ɡaɪst əˌtæk/
a way of using high-frequency sounds to cause the machine learning algorithms used by self-driving cars to make mistakes in identifying people, objects and other vehicles, which could cause accidents

Poltergeist attacks diverge from traditional cyber threats, such as hacking or jamming. They create deceptive visual realities, similar to optical illusions, for machines employing machine learning for decision-making processes.
[techtimes.com, 26 September 2023]

superalignment noun [U]
UK /ˌsuː.pə.rəˈlaɪn.mənt/ US /ˌsuː.pɚ.əˈlaɪn.mənt/
the study of how to control superintelligent AIs that may be built in the future so that they act in ways that are useful and not harmful to human beings

OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever and head of alignment Jan Leike wrote a blog post on the concept of superalignment, suggesting that the power of a superintelligent AI could lead to the disempowerment of humanity or even human extinction. “Currently, we don’t have a solution for steering or controlling a potentially superintelligent AI, and preventing it from going rogue,” the pair wrote.
[techmonitor.ai, 6 July 2023]

ground verb [T]
/ɡraʊnd/
to give an AI model facts about the real world so that it will produce information that is more accurate and useful

As we start to see more applications built upon foundational AI models — we will also see an increase in the use of external datasets, articles, networks and databases to “ground” the model to factual data and relevant user context.
[medium.com, March 2022]

ghost work noun [U]
UK /ˈɡəʊst ˌwɜːk/ US /ˈɡoʊst ˌwɝːk/
work done by a human being, usually online and for low pay, to do a task that most people believe is done automatically by a computer

“Ghost work” is anthropologist Mary L. Gray’s term for the invisible labor that powers our technology platforms. When Gray, a senior researcher at Microsoft Research, first arrived at the company, she learned that building artificial intelligence requires people to manage and clean up data to feed to the training algorithms.
[theverge.com, 13 May 2019]

voice cloning noun [U]
UK /ˈvɔɪs ˌkləʊ.nɪŋ/ US /ˈvɔɪs ˌkloʊ.nɪŋ/
the use of artificial intelligence to make recordings that sound like the voice of a specific person

… it looks like the system harnesses the power of voice cloning, which has grown in popularity in recent years. The technology works by taking samples of your voice; a computer model is then trained to generate speech in your voice based on whatever text input it applied.
[ukpcmag.com, 25 September 2023]

RLHF noun [U]
/ˌɑː.rel.eɪtʃˈef/
ABBREVIATION FOR reinforcement learning from human feedback: a technique that improves the performance of an AI by getting human beings to provide information about how good the results it currently produces are

Reinforcement Learning From Human Feedback (RLHF) is an advanced approach to training AI systems that combines reinforcement learning with human feedback. It is a way to create a more robust learning process by incorporating the wisdom and experience of human trainers in the model training process.
[unite.ai, 29 March 2023]

About new words

a red pencil, biscuit and cup of coffee on top of the "Jobs and Careers" page of a newspaper, illustrating the concept of job applications and the "September Surge"

New words – 6 November 2023

On November 6, 2023October 2, 2023 By Cambridge WordsIn New words3 Comments

September Surge noun [C]
UK /sepˌtem.bə ˈsɜːdʒ/ US /sepˌtem.bɚ ˈsɝːdʒ/
an increase in job vacancies that is said to happen in September every year

Dust off your resume, rewrite your cover letters and start posting on LinkedIn. That’s the advice we’re hearing for recruiters as we head into the fall and enter the “September Surge,” a time when it might be easier to land a job. But we know 2023 has been full of layoffs and economic uncertainty. So will the fall be any different? Is the September Surge real?
[worklife.news, 28 August 2023]

burn-on noun [U]
UK /ˈbɜːn.ɒn/ US /ˈbɝːn.ɑːn/
a feeling of stress and exhaustion experienced by someone who has been working too hard for a long period but continues to be good at their job and appears to be enjoying it

Feeling overworked but not yet burned out? Often the problem is “burn-on,” an under-researched phenomenon whose sufferers desperately struggle to keep up and meet their own expectations — with dangerous consequences for their health … While those suffering from burn-out come to the clinic having already been brought to a standstill by depression, people with burn-on have often worked late into the night the evening before.
[worldcrunch.com, 3 December 2022]

See also burn-out

loud labourer noun [C]
UK /ˌlaʊd ˈleɪ.bᵊr.əʳ/ US /ˌlaʊd ˈleɪ.bɚ.ɚ/
someone who likes to tell colleagues about how busy and successful they are at work, when often this is not actually the case

It’s highly likely that at some point in your career, you’ve encountered a “loud labourer”. These are the people who love to toot their own horn. They’re constantly banging on about all the great stuff they’ve done … so much so that they hardly have time to actually complete their work. But that doesn’t matter, because to a loud labourer, work is not about productivity, but the appearance of it.
[worklife.news, 28 August 2023]

About new words

a mother kissing her young child in a nursery decorated in white and pale brown, illustrating the concept of "sad beige"

New words – 30 October 2023

On October 30, 2023September 13, 2023 By Cambridge WordsIn New words, the English language13 Comments

sad beige adjective
/ˌsæd ˈbeɪʒ/
a way of describing the trend of dressing babies and young children in pale brown and other neutral shades because these colours are thought by the parents to be more tasteful and stylish than bright colours

What is “sad beige,” and why do some parents love it so much? The muted palette is hot now: influencers’ Instagram grids are full of photos of children wearing shades ranging from ivory to tan. There’s even a backlash against the so-called “sad beige” trend from people who believe children need a little more color in their lives.
[today.com, 18 January 2023]

traumedy noun [U]
UK /ˈtrɔː.m.ə.di/ US / ˈtrɑː.mə.di/
a type of comedy that involves someone talking about past traumatic events in their life in a funny way

Standup has certainly taken a sharp turn towards inner trauma in recent years, giving rise to the dismissive portmanteau term “traumedy” to describe the comedic habit of processing disturbing experiences live on stage. And the 2023 Edinburgh fringe now looks like the peak of the trend.
[theguardian.com, 20 August 2023]

crying make-up noun [U]
/ˈkraɪ.ɪŋ ˌmeɪk.ʌp/
a style of make-up that makes the wearer look as though they are, or have recently been, crying

“Crying make-up” is taking over TikTok, but has the “sad girl aesthetic” finally gone too far? Noor Mubarak, a psychological wellbeing practitioner, agrees that the crying make-up trend can be problematic. “For those who are struggling with feelings of despair and tearfulness, it can feel trivialising to see people trying to look like they are struggling for aesthetic purposes.”
[glamourmagazine.co.uk, 28 October 2022]

About new words

a picture of a young man in business clothing holding a laptop close to his face and staring intently at the screen, illustrating the concept of 'screen apnoea'

New words – 23 October 2023

On October 23, 2023September 13, 2023 By Cambridge WordsIn New words10 Comments

screen apnoea noun [U]
/ˈskriːn ˌæp.ni.ə/
the situation where someone stops breathing properly when they are looking at the screen of their mobile phone or similar device

The lack of movement that comes from sitting in front of a screen might also be a contributor to screen apnoea, says Dr David Spiegel. Disrupted breathing is the result of “a combination of not just what you’re doing but what you’re not doing,” he says, adding that he noticed screen apnoea among patients who worked high-stress jobs for long hours without getting much exercise or sleep.
[smh.com.au, 29 August 2023]

See also sleep apnoea

soft troll noun [C]
UK /ˌsɒft ˈtrəʊl/ US /ˌsɑːft ˈtroʊl/
a person who criticizes or makes nasty comments about someone on the internet but only to other people and not directly to the person in question

Have you ever hate-followed fake friends or acquaintances, revelled in online spats or screenshotted someone’s post to bitch about in your group chat? You could be a soft troll.
[stylist.co.uk, 28 August 2023]

See also troll

rage farming noun [U]
UK /ˈreɪdʒ ˌfɑː.mɪŋ/ US /ˈreɪdʒ ˌfɑːr.mɪŋ/
the activity of posting content on social media that aims to make the reader angry and then share the content with other users

A term which has recently entered common parlance is “rage farming” – a manipulative tactic by bloggers or journalists to elicit outrage with the goal of increasing internet traffic, online engagement, revenue and support. Imagine that one individual who, when they appear on your timeline or tv screen, creates an instantaneous feeling of deep, unbridled anger. It seems this reaction is not just unproblematic for such individuals but eminently desirable.
[sluggerotoole.com, 18 January 2023]

About new words