buzzword

[buhz-wurd]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR buzzword ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a word or phrase, often sounding authoritative or technical, that is a vogue term in a particular profession, field of study, popular culture, etc.

Origin of buzzword

First recorded in 1965–70; buzz¹ + word

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for buzzword

The latter in particular has become a buzzword for Silicon Valley start-ups.
Bill Gates’ Internet Doomsday Prophesy Comes True|Kyle Chayka|July 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The perilousness of ubiquity with a hashtag—or any buzzword, for that matter—is that people can too easily forget its origin.
#YesAllWomen Has Jumped the Shark|Emily Shire|May 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“It's for the conference set; the buzzword of 2013's business model,” she said, laughing.
New York Times Editor Jill Abramson Talks Boston and Female Editors|Nina Strochlic|May 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The Carter lovefest shows insensitivity to the buzzword of this year—the optics—not just with Israel but with American voters.
Carter Is Worse Than Clint|Gil Troy|September 4, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Sustainability” is all the rage as a buzzword, but a $3.6 trillion budget is not “sustainable.
The GOP Should Let Obama Self-Destruct|Christopher Buckley|May 4, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Netconomy started as a buzzword, joining net, network, and economy.
The Civilization of Illiteracy|Mihai Nadin

Word Origin and History for buzzword

also buzz word, 1946, from buzz (n.) + word (n.). Noted as Harvard student slang for the key words in a lecture or reading. Perhaps from the use of buzz in the popular counting game.