New Words in English with Meanings & Examples for Kids & Students

In a rapidly evolving language like English, new words are constantly being coined, borrowed, or reshaped. For students, parents, and teachers, staying updated with these words is essential not only to keep up with modern usage but also to strengthen communication, vocabulary, and comprehension skills.

This detailed blog explores new English words, their meanings, example sentences, synonyms, antonyms, and usage especially tailored for learners and students. Whether you're preparing for competitive exams, improving spoken English, or enhancing everyday vocabulary, this guide is your go-to resource.

Why Learning New English Words Matters

Expanding one’s vocabulary isn’t just about knowing fancy words. It empowers you to:

Communicate more effectively and precisely
Write with clarity and style
Improve reading comprehension
Enhance academic and professional performance
Build confidence in speaking and writing

Vocabulary development is especially crucial for students and children, as it directly impacts their learning ability across all subjects.

New Additions to the Dictionary in 2024–2025

Here are 10 new words added to the Oxford English Dictionary recently:

1. Greedflation
Meaning: Inflation caused by corporate greed.
Sentence: Economists are debating the impact of greedflation on global markets.

2. Nepo baby
Meaning: A person who has succeeded due to family connections in a specific industry.
Sentence: The actor was labeled a nepo baby due to his famous parents.

3. Cyber flashing
Meaning: Sending unsolicited explicit images electronically.
Sentence: Cyber flashing is now a punishable offense in many countries.

4. Permacrisis
Meaning: A state of constant crisis.
Sentence: The last decade has felt like a permacrisis due to global upheavals.

5. Friendshoring
Meaning: Relocating supply chains to allied countries.
Sentence: Companies are increasingly adopting friendshoring for security.

6. Unsend
Meaning: To delete a sent message.
Sentence: She quickly unsent the embarrassing text.

7. Polycrisis
Meaning: Multiple crises occurring simultaneously.
Sentence: Climate change and war have created a polycrisis.

8. Trauma dumping
Meaning: Oversharing emotional distress without consent.
Sentence: He was overwhelmed by his colleague's trauma dumping.

9. Vaxinista
Meaning: A fashion-conscious person who promotes vaccination.
Sentence: The influencer proudly called herself a vaxinista.

10. Heat dome
Meaning: A weather phenomenon where a high-pressure system traps heat.
Sentence: The heat dome caused record-breaking temperatures last summer.

11. Doomscrolling
Meaning: The act of continuously scrolling through bad news, even though it causes distress.
Sentence: I spent two hours doomscrolling last night and felt terrible afterward.
Synonyms: Obsessive scrolling, anxiety-scrolling
Antonyms: Mindful browsing, positive reading

12. De-influencing
Meaning: The act of discouraging others from buying certain products or following trends.
Sentence: She posted a video de-influencing overhyped beauty brands.
Synonyms: Critiquing, debunking
Antonyms: Influencing, promoting

13. Nomophobia
Meaning: The fear of being without your mobile phone.
Sentence: His nomophobia became apparent when his phone battery died.
Synonyms: Phone anxiety, tech dependence
Antonyms: Digital detox, unplugging

14. Quiet quitting
Meaning: Doing the minimum required at work without going above and beyond.
Sentence: After being overlooked for promotion, he started quiet quitting.
Synonyms: Passive disengagement, burnout
Antonyms: Proactiveness, overachieving

15. JOMO (Joy of Missing Out)
Meaning: Feeling content when not participating in social events.
Sentence: She enjoyed a quiet weekend at home with true JOMO.
Synonyms: Solitude, peace
Antonyms: FOMO, regret

16. Deadname
Meaning: The birth name of a transgender person who has changed their name.
Sentence: It’s important not to refer to someone by their deadname.
Synonyms: Former name, past identity
Antonyms: Affirmed name, legal name

17. Rage farming
Meaning: Deliberately provoking people online to get angry responses.
Sentence: The influencer was accused of rage farming to boost engagement.
Synonyms: Provoking, baiting
Antonyms: Constructive dialogue, civil discourse

18. Petfluencer
Meaning: A pet with a popular social media following.
Sentence: Her dog became a petfluencer after his videos went viral.
Synonyms: Viral pet, social media mascot
Antonyms: Offline pet, anonymous animal

19. Bed rotting
Meaning: Spending an extended period of time lying in bed doing nothing, often due to burnout.
Sentence: I spent the weekend bed rotting and binge-watching shows.
Synonyms: Burnout recovery, intentional rest
Antonyms: Productivity, active lifestyle

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50 Difficult Words with Meaning and Sentence

Abnegation
Meaning: Renunciation of a belief or doctrine.
Sentence: The monk’s life was a constant exercise in abnegation and self-discipline.
Benevolent
Meaning: Well-meaning and kindly.
Sentence: The benevolent teacher always encouraged her students with a warm smile.
Capitulate
Meaning: Cease to resist an opponent; surrender.
Sentence: The soldiers had to capitulate after running out of ammunition.
Debilitate
Meaning: To make someone weak.
Sentence: The illness will debilitate you for at least a week.
Ebullient
Meaning: Cheerful and full of energy.
Sentence: Her ebullient personality lit up the entire room.
Facetious
Meaning: Treating serious issues with inappropriate humor.
Sentence: His facetious remarks during the meeting were not well-received.
Garrulous
Meaning: Excessively talkative.
Sentence: The garrulous boy talked non-stop during the entire bus ride.
Hackneyed
Meaning: Overused and unoriginal.
Sentence: The movie's plot was full of hackneyed clichés.
Impetuous
Meaning: Acting quickly without thought or care.
Sentence: Her impetuous decision to quit her job shocked everyone.
Juxtapose
Meaning: Place side by side for comparison.
Sentence: The artist juxtaposed modern and traditional elements in the sculpture.
Kaleidoscopic
Meaning: Constantly changing pattern or sequence.
Sentence: The city lights created a kaleidoscopic view from the airplane.
Lugubrious
Meaning: Looking or sounding sad and dismal.
Sentence: His lugubrious tone indicated the depth of his disappointment.
Magnanimous
Meaning: Generous or forgiving.
Sentence: He was magnanimous in victory, praising his opponent’s performance.
Nebulous
Meaning: Unclear, vague.
Sentence: Her explanation was so nebulous that no one understood it.
Obfuscate
Meaning: To confuse or make unclear.
Sentence: The company’s financial jargon only served to obfuscate the truth.
Parsimony
Meaning: Extreme unwillingness to spend money.
Sentence: His parsimony stopped him from buying even the cheapest shoes.
Quixotic
Meaning: Unrealistic and impractical.
Sentence: His quixotic quest for world peace was admirable but naive.
Recalcitrant
Meaning: Stubbornly uncooperative.
Sentence: The recalcitrant student refused to follow the classroom rules.
Sagacious
Meaning: Wise and shrewd.
Sentence: Her sagacious advice helped the company avoid a major loss.
Trepidation
Meaning: A feeling of fear about something that may happen.
Sentence: She entered the exam hall with great trepidation.
Ubiquitous
Meaning: Present, appearing, or found everywhere.
Sentence: Smartphones have become ubiquitous in modern society.
Vicissitude
Meaning: A change of circumstances or fortune.
Sentence: She endured the vicissitudes of life with grace.
Winsome
Meaning: Attractive or appealing in appearance or character.
Sentence: The winsome child won everyone’s heart at the gathering.
Xenophobia
Meaning: Dislike or prejudice against people from other countries.
Sentence: Xenophobia should have no place in today’s global society.
Yearn
Meaning: To have an intense longing.
Sentence: He yearned for his hometown after moving abroad.
Zealous
Meaning: Showing great energy or enthusiasm.
Sentence: The zealous volunteer worked day and night for the cause.
Ameliorate
Meaning: To make something better.
Sentence: The doctor’s intervention helped ameliorate the patient’s suffering.
Belligerent
Meaning: Hostile and aggressive.
Sentence: His belligerent attitude kept him from making friends.
Cacophony
Meaning: A harsh mixture of sounds.
Sentence: The cacophony from the construction site made it hard to concentrate.
Despotism
Meaning: The exercise of absolute power.
Sentence: The country suffered under decades of despotism.
Ephemeral
Meaning: Lasting a very short time.
Sentence: Beauty is often ephemeral, but kindness lasts.
Flummoxed
Meaning: Bewildered or perplexed.
Sentence: The difficult puzzle left her completely flummoxed.
Grandiloquent
Meaning: Pompous or extravagant in language.
Sentence: His grandiloquent speech failed to impress the crowd.
Heuristic
Meaning: Enabling a person to discover something for themselves.
Sentence: The heuristic approach allowed students to learn by doing.
Iconoclast
Meaning: Someone who attacks cherished beliefs or institutions.
Sentence: The artist was an iconoclast, defying traditional norms.
Jejune
Meaning: Naive, simplistic, and superficial.
Sentence: His jejune understanding of politics showed in the debate.
Knavery
Meaning: Dishonest or unscrupulous behavior.
Sentence: The knavery of the crooked lawyer shocked the entire courtroom.
Lethargy
Meaning: A lack of energy and enthusiasm.
Sentence: A wave of lethargy swept over her after lunch.
Munificent
Meaning: Very generous.
Sentence: The philanthropist’s munificent donation helped build a new school.
Nonplussed
Meaning: Surprised and confused so much that one is unsure how to react.
Sentence: She was nonplussed by the unexpected question.
Obstreperous
Meaning: Noisy and difficult to control.
Sentence: The obstreperous children disrupted the entire class.
Perfidious
Meaning: Deceitful and untrustworthy.
Sentence: His perfidious betrayal ended their long friendship.
Querulous
Meaning: Complaining in a petulant manner.
Sentence: The querulous tone of the customer annoyed the staff.
Reprehensible
Meaning: Deserving condemnation.
Sentence: His reprehensible behavior led to suspension.
Sycophant
Meaning: A person who acts obsequiously toward someone important to gain advantage.
Sentence: The sycophant praised his boss excessively to gain favor.
Tantamount
Meaning: Equivalent in seriousness.
Sentence: His silence was tantamount to an admission of guilt.
Unctuous
Meaning: Excessively flattering or insincere.
Sentence: His unctuous compliments made everyone uncomfortable.
Vituperate
Meaning: To criticize harshly.
Sentence: The manager vituperated the employee for the mistake.
Wheedle
Meaning: To use flattery to persuade someone.
Sentence: She tried to wheedle another piece of cake from her mom.
Zephyr
Meaning: A soft, gentle breeze.
Sentence: A cool zephyr blew through the open windows, soothing everyone.

Words to Improve Kids’ Vocabulary

1. Giggle

Meaning: To laugh in a silly or quiet way
Sentence: The children began to giggle during the puppet show.
Synonyms: Chuckle, laugh, snicker
Antonyms: Cry, sob, weep

2. Whisper

Meaning: To speak very softly
Sentence: She had to whisper the answer so the teacher wouldn’t hear.
Synonyms: Murmur, mutter, speak softly
Antonyms: Shout, yell, scream

3. Brave

Meaning: Showing courage and not being afraid
Sentence: The little boy was brave enough to try the big slide.
Synonyms: Courageous, bold, fearless
Antonyms: Cowardly, timid, fearful

4. Neat

Meaning: Clean and well-organized
Sentence: Riya keeps her desk neat and tidy every day.
Synonyms: Tidy, orderly, clean
Antonyms: Messy, cluttered, untidy

5. Bright

Meaning: Full of light or intelligent
Sentence: Aryan is a bright student who loves to solve puzzles.
Synonyms: Smart, clever, intelligent / Shiny, radiant
Antonyms: Dull, unintelligent, dim

6. Friendly

Meaning: Kind and pleasant toward others
Sentence: Everyone liked Meera because she was so friendly.
Synonyms: Kind, nice, warm
Antonyms: Rude, mean, unfriendly

7. Quick

Meaning: Moving fast or doing something in a short time
Sentence: He gave a quick answer and won the quiz.
Synonyms: Fast, speedy, swift
Antonyms: Slow, delayed, sluggish

8. Huge

Meaning: Very large in size
Sentence: They saw a huge elephant at the zoo.
Synonyms: Enormous, gigantic, massive
Antonyms: Tiny, small, little

9. Share

Meaning: To give a portion of something to someone else
Sentence: She loves to share her toys with her friends.
Synonyms: Distribute, divide, give
Antonyms: Keep, hoard, withhold

10. Jump

Meaning: To push yourself off the ground into the air
Sentence: The kids jump in joy when it’s time for games.
Synonyms: Leap, hop, bounce
Antonyms: Fall, drop, stay

Daily Use English Words with Meaning and Sentence

Glimpse
Meaning: A quick look
Sentence: I caught a glimpse of the rainbow before it disappeared.
Assign
Meaning: To allocate a task or responsibility
Sentence: The teacher assigned homework for the weekend.
Borrow
Meaning: To take something for temporary use
Sentence: May I borrow your pen for a moment?
Explain
Meaning: To make something clear or easy to understand
Sentence: Can you explain the math problem again?
Quiet
Meaning: Free from noise
Sentence: The library was so quiet I could hear a pin drop.
Forget
Meaning: To fail to remember
Sentence: Don’t forget to carry your ID for the exam.
Repair
Meaning: To fix something that is broken
Sentence: The plumber repaired the leaking tap.
Prefer
Meaning: To like one thing more than another
Sentence: I prefer tea over coffee.
Answer
Meaning: A reply or solution to a question
Sentence: She gave a smart answer in the interview.
Deliver
Meaning: To bring or transport something
Sentence: The courier delivered the package this morning.
Arrange
Meaning: To organise or put things in order
Sentence: Please arrange the chairs before the meeting starts.
Build
Meaning: To construct or create
Sentence: They are building a new playground in the park.
Laugh
Meaning: To show happiness with sound
Sentence: We laughed out loud at the joke.
Careful
Meaning: Taking caution
Sentence: Be careful while crossing the road.
Wait
Meaning: To stay in place until something happens
Sentence: Please wait outside until your name is called.
Invite
Meaning: To ask someone to attend
Sentence: We invited all our friends to the birthday party.
Clean
Meaning: Free from dirt
Sentence: I cleaned my room before guests arrived.
Carry
Meaning: To hold and take from one place to another
Sentence: I will carry your bag to the car.
Guess
Meaning: To form an opinion without full information
Sentence: Can you guess what’s inside the box?
Return
Meaning: To give something back
Sentence: I need to return the book to the library.

Gen Z New Terms with Meanings and Examples

Rizz
Meaning: Charisma or charm, especially when flirting
Example: “He’s got mad rizz, everyone’s into him.”
Delulu
Meaning: Short for “delusional,” used humorously when someone has unrealistic hopes or dreams
Example: “You think your crush will notice your one like? That’s so delulu.”
Slay
Meaning: To do something exceptionally well or look great
Example: “You slayed that presentation!”
No Cap
Meaning: No lie or I’m being honest
Example: “That was the best movie I’ve seen this year, no cap.”
Situationship
Meaning: A romantic or emotional relationship that is not formally defined
Example: “They’re not officially dating, it’s just a situationship.”
Main Character Energy
Meaning: When someone acts like the star of their own story
Example: “She walked into the room with total main character energy.”
Boujee
Meaning: Acting or appearing luxurious or fancy, often in an over-the-top way
Example: “This café is so boujee with its gold-dusted cupcakes.”
It’s Giving…
Meaning: A phrase used to describe the vibe something gives off
Example: “It’s giving boss energy.”
Ghost
Meaning: To suddenly stop responding to someone’s texts or messages
Example: “We talked for a week and then she ghosted me.”
Glow-Up
Meaning: A noticeable transformation in appearance, style, or confidence
Example: “He had a major glow-up since high school.”
Mid
Meaning: Average or mediocre
Example: “The sequel was kind of mid compared to the first movie.”
Bet
Meaning: Agreement or “okay”
Example: “Wanna go out at 8?” “Bet.”
Stan
Meaning: To be a loyal fan of someone or something
Example: “I totally stan this band I’ve been to every concert!”
Iykyk (If you know, you know)
Meaning: Something only certain people will understand
Example: “That inside joke? iykyk.”

How to Practice New Words and Keep Your Vocabulary Growing

Learning new words is only useful if you actively use them. Vocabulary is like a muscle the more you use it, the stronger it gets. Here’s how kids (and even adults) can practice new words effectively and continue updating their vocabulary regularly:

✅ 1. Use New Words in Daily Conversations

Encourage your child to use at least 1–2 new words per day in conversations at home, in class, or during storytelling. For example, instead of saying “very big,” they can say “enormous.”

Tip: Make it a fun challenge: “Can you use today’s word while talking to Dad?”

✅ 2. Maintain a Word Diary or “Vocabulary Journal”

Create a dedicated notebook where your child writes:

The new word
Its meaning in simple terms
One or two sentences using the word
A drawing or synonym/antonym, if they like

This turns passive learning into active recall which improves memory.

✅ 3. Learn Through Context, Not Just Definitions

Encourage kids to learn words through stories, books, shows, and conversations not just from lists. When they see or hear a word in context, it sticks better.

Example: Watching a science documentary might introduce them to “resilient” or “innovative.”

✅ 4. Play Vocabulary Games

Games like:

Scrabble, Word Search, Taboo
Crossword puzzles
‘Guess the Word’ challenge
Apps like Vocab Victor or PlanetSpark’s interactive sessions

These help in learning through play especially effective for younger learners.

✅ 5. Use Flashcards for Quick Revision

Make simple flashcards with the word on one side and the meaning + a sentence on the other. Kids can revise 5 cards a day, perfect before bedtime or on a commute.

✅ 6. Read, Listen, Speak, and Repeat

Expose your child to a mix of English:

Reading: Books, comics, articles
Listening: Audiobooks, podcasts, songs
Speaking: Daily conversations using new words

✅ 7. Make It a Family Activity

Have “Word of the Day” challenges at home. Make everyone in the family use the word naturally in conversation. It creates a supportive, non-judgmental learning space.

Why Choose PlanetSpark to Learn New Words and Vocabulary Skills

PlanetSpark’s innovative learning platform helps children master vocabulary and communication through:

1:1 live sessions with expert trainers
Personalised learning roadmap for each child
Daily vocabulary challenges and quizzes
Gamified learning with leaderboards and rewards
Public speaking, grammar, and creative writing integration
Spark Diary & SparkX events for presentation & practice
Detailed progress reports and monthly PTMs

Whether your child is a beginner or an advanced learner, PlanetSpark builds vocabulary that sticks along with the confidence to use it.

Want your child to speak smarter and write better? Start your PlanetSpark journey with a free demo class today!

FAQs

Q1. What are new words in English in 2025?
A1. New words include 'greedflation', 'nepo baby', 'bed rotting', and more reflecting modern trends and behavior.

Q2. How can students remember new English words easily?
A2. Use them in sentences, learn through games or flashcards, and revise them regularly in context.

Q3. Are these words suitable for kids?
A3. While some are age-neutral, younger learners should focus on vocabulary suitable for their level. PlanetSpark helps customize this.

Q4. How does PlanetSpark help improve my child’s vocabulary?
A4. PlanetSpark offers live 1:1 classes, interactive vocabulary games, and speech-based exercises to strengthen word usage.

Q5. Can I get a free trial before enrolling in PlanetSpark classes?
A5. Yes! PlanetSpark offers a free 1:1 demo session for every new learner.