New Oxford American Dictionary names “unfriend” as Word of the Year

Social media continues to move mainstream, with social media terms entering the common lexicon. This point was driven home on Tuesday, as CNN.com reports that the New Oxford American Dictionary has named “unfriend” as its Word of the Year, beating out a field heavy with

technology-based terms such as “netbook,” “hashtag” and “sexting.”

“It has both currency and potential longevity,” said Christine Lindberg, a language researcher for Oxford’s U.S. dictionary program. “In the online social networking context, its meaning is understood, so its adoption as a modern verb form makes this an interesting choice for Word of the Year.”

The New Oxford American Dictionary defines “unfriend” as a verb that means to “remove someone as a ‘friend’ on a social networking site such as Facebook.”

As you might expect, news of the honor awarded to the word “unfriend” spread quickly across social media sites, and not all of it was positive. Many people were upset that the New Oxford American Dictionary selected “unfriend” and not the similar term “defriend.”

“Frustrated that ‘unfriend’ is the word of the year. It’s definitely ‘defriend’ when referencing Facebook,” one Twitter user wrote, adding the hashtag #dictionaryfail.

Related articles by Zemanta

• “Unfriend” Now Officially a Word (lockergnome.com)
• “Unfriend” Declared Word of the Year [Web] (gizmodo.com)
• Facebook’s ‘Unfriend’ verb is voted ‘ Word of the Year’ (telegraph.co.uk)
• Oxford Dictionary’s Word of the Year 2009 (prathambooks.org)

• Facebook Roleplaying Social networking technology has changed the way communication works. There are a variety of new levels of interaction that are possible. This is not only connecting people in new and unique ways, but it is also allowing people to tell stories across a whole new range of media. On......
• 88 Money-Making Writing Jobs (Paperback) THE BEST WAYS TO MAKE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS WRITING! Writers today are no longer just working on books and newspapers. Businesses, advertisers, and hundreds of other outlets are desperate for people who can craft effective messages and persuade people with their words. A strong writer can make $50 to......
• The History Of African American Authors From 21 Black Street by Kevin Elliott Beginning in the 60's with the civil rights movement, African American authors were rising in the market. Before America was a nation there were African Americans authors when published black writers were slaves and abolitionists. The first African American to become famous in the writer community was......
• Content Rich: Writing Your Way to Wealth on the Web (Hardcover) ReviewContent Rich: Writing Your Way to Wealth on the Web is, without a doubt, the most important copywriting book to be published this year. Every online marketer and copywriter can become more successful and make more money by mastering SEO copywriting, content writing, key word research, Web 2.0, social......
• Book Review: Arctic Drift, by Clive and Dirk Cussler As usual, Clive Cussler stays right on top of current world events in his latest Dirk Pitt novel, Arctic Drift. This time, not surprisingly, the book set in the year 2011 revolves around the financial crisis and global warming. The villain this time around is a Canadian billionaire named......

• Wordpress Plugins You Should Use by Hal Major If you have a self-hosted blog using Wordpress, and you should, you'll want to extend its capability using plugins. Plugins are scripts, usually created with PHP coding, that turn your plain vanilla blog into Double Chocolate Rocky Road with sprinkles on top. Okay, I wish I hadn't......
• Social Media Marketing Keyword Strategy - Learn How to Reach the 1st Page of Google Using Keywords First don't let the word keyword scare you. Keywords are just the words or short phrases people type into the search box of Google when they are looking for your services or information online. It is important to do research and find out which of these words your prospects......
• Text of President Obama's State of the Union Address [/caption] Remarks of President Barack Obama The State of the Union Wednesday, January 27, 2009 Washington, DC Madame Speaker, Vice President Biden, Members of Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow Americans: Our Constitution declares that from time to time, the President shall give to Congress information about the state of our......
• 450 Random Useless Facts [/caption] Most American car horns honk in the key of F. The name Wendy was made up for the book "Peter Pan." Barbie''s full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts. Every time you lick a stamp, you consume 1/10 of a calorie. The average person falls asleep in seven minutes. Studies......
• Straight Up! Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and the American X-Factor #idol And you can't have Ameican Idol without any Saula. It's blasphemous!...got the ball rolling for the American version of The X-Factor and hired my favourite Forever Your Girl...it's smart business and very smart publicity...