‘Rizz,’ ‘dad bod’ and ‘ghost kitchen’ — Merriam-Webster adds 5,000 new words to new dictionary

Welcome to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, now including “rizz,” “dad bod,” “adulting,” “dashcam” and “cancel culture.”

The 12th edition of the Merriam-Webster “Collegiate” dictionary, which will be released on Nov. 18, introduces 5,000 new words and 1,000 new phrases and idioms to its pages, the publisher announced Thursday.

The 11th edition of the dictionary was released in 2003, so cultural changes over the past two decades called for an extensive update.

“Farm-to-table,” which is food sourced locally and served directly to customers, made the cut. So did “petrichor,” a descriptor for the enjoyable scent of rain after an extended dry period. And “WFH,” which stands for work from home — a habit that stuck following stay-at-home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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