Sunday scaries or chili crisp? The best new words added to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary

• Merriam-Webster has added 1,400 new words and updated definitions to its iconic dictionary, offering a window into our ever-changing vocabularies in the age of social media and technology.
• Internet and social media culture feature heavily in the update, introducing terms such as looksmaxxing, parasocial, Rickroll, copium, promposal, and the cryptocurrency term meme coin.
• Recent developments in artificial intelligence and technology inspired several new entries, including AGI (artificial general intelligence), vibe coding, uncanny valley, and compute used as a noun.
• Modern cultural phenomena and emotional states are also recognised with definitions for cuffing season, Sunday scaries, crashout, California sober, shapewear, and Mandela Effect.
• The dictionary update also incorporates a wide range of food terms, from superfood and cake pop to East Asian culinary additions like shishito peppers, bao buns, and chili crisp.