neologism

American  

[nee-ol-uh-jiz-uhm] / niˈɒl əˌdʒɪz əm /

noun

1. a new word, meaning, usage, or phrase.

2. the introduction or use of new words or new senses of existing words.

3. a new doctrine, especially a new interpretation of sacred writings.

4. Psychiatry. a new word, often consisting of a combination of other words, that is understood only by the speaker: occurring most often in the speech of schizophrenics.

---

neologism British  

/ ˌnɪəˈlɒdʒɪkəl, nɪˈɒləˌdʒɪzəm /

noun

1. a newly coined word, or a phrase or familiar word used in a new sense

2. the practice of using or introducing neologisms

3. rare a tendency towards adopting new views, esp rationalist views, in matters of religion

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• neologistically
  adverb
• neologist
  noun
• neologistical
  adjective
• neologistic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of neologism

From the French word néologisme, dating back to 1790–1800. See neology, -ism

Explanation

A neologism is a made-up or new word. Neologisms can be fun-ti-ful, but the problem is making sure others understand what you mean. The word neologism was once a neologism itself. It was created by gluing the prefix neo-, "new," onto the Greek root logos or "word." People coin neologisms all the time, linguists track which ones stick, and eventually, we all feel they're old friends. Or maybe not: random samples from words coined in 2003 include: adultolescence, pastability, pre-zactly, and neomaxizoomdweebie.

Example Sentences

The face of the Neologism that had cried out burned in her mind.

From The Verge • Feb. 8, 2019