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buzzword

buzzword

27 5.6
A popular word or phrase people use a lot until it loses its real meaning
  • noun
  • /ˈbʌzˌwɜrd/
translation icon : palabra de moda
  • In today's digital age, 'artificial intelligence' has become a buzzword that often lacks real substance.
  • become a buzzword
  • just a buzzword
  • new buzzword

And metabolic health is, is a big sort of buzzword at the moment.

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Examples

  • But there is also a sense that e-discovery is a buzzword, confusing people as to what's really going on.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Outreach, collaboration, and interdisciplinary work have, of course, become well-known buzzwords in the world of higher education.

    Academic text (2001)
  • Yeah, it's it's the smart home is a buzzword that actually means very little right now.

  • And metabolic health is, is a big sort of buzzword at the moment.

  • And I think sometimes these things become buzzwords to the point that they lose their meaning.

  • "Patient navigator" is the new buzzword in health care.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Basically the word sustainable is a buzzword and there's no such thing in the hotel world.

  • The big educational buzzwords these days are "STEM" and "Common Core."

    Academic text (2013)
  • The past decade has been particularly identified by the buzzwords of accountability and outcomes.

    Academic text (1996)
  • The term "PLN" has become a fairly popular buzzword in educational networks, journals, and literature.

    Academic text (2012)

Synonyms

catchphrase
vsbuzzword
38 3.9

A short phrase many people know and repeat

is a trendy jargon term that spreads beyond a single person or group
catchword
vsbuzzword
1 7.6

A short word or phrase often used by a group as a slogan

is more widely fashionable and loses meaning beyond the group
stock phrase
vsbuzzword
1 3.3

A common saying used so often it sounds tired

is fashionable jargon that becomes trivial through overuse

How Trendy

buzzword
27 5.6
catchphrase
38 3.9
slogan
202 2.5

Surface Forms

buzzword singular
buzzwords plural

Morphology

buzzword = buzz + word (semi-transparent) = buzz + word

The components 'buzz' and 'word' are clear, but the idiomatic sense 'fashionable or overused term' is a metaphorical extension and not strictly compositional for all learners.

Etymology

Buzzword comes from buzz, which means a low excited sound or 'talk', and word, so it is a word that creates a lot of attention. That's why a buzzword is often used so much that it loses its original meaning.