Selfie, Unlike and Other Social Media Terms Added to Oxford Dictionary

Related: The GEO Glossary · AI Communications.

If you are a stickler for correct grammar and dictionary-approved terminology, you no longer need to worry about terms like selfie, unlike, phablet, srsly, buzzworthy, and others. The Oxford Dictionary Online added them, and others, to its large collection. With influences ranging from technology to fashion, there is something for everyone in the update.

Here are some of the hottest new terms for social media use, and their definitions:

• Unlike (v.): withdraw one's liking or approval of a web page or posting on a social media website that one has previously liked.
• Phablet (n.): smartphone having a screen which is intermediate in size between that of a typical smartphone and a tablet computer.
• Digital detox (n.): a period of time during which a person refrains from using electronic devices such as smartphones or computers, regarded as an opportunity to reduce stress or focus on social interaction in the physical world.
• Bitcoin (n.): a digital currency in which transactions can be performed without the need for a central bank.
• Selfie (n., informal): a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website.
• Emoji (n.): a small digital image or icon used to express an idea or emotion in electronic communication.
• Internet of things (n.): a proposed development of the Internet in which everyday objects have network connectivity, allowing them to send and receive data.

In addition to the above, the dictionary also added other terms, including twerk, space travel, street food, double denim, and geek chic.

Editor's note (2026 update)

"Selfie" went on to be named Oxford's Word of the Year in 2013, capturing the moment when smartphone-and-social-media vocabulary crossed into formal English. The same pattern is now happening with AI Communications vocabulary — Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), Citation Share, Retrieval Anchor, Answer Engine, Grounding Stack — terms that didn't exist in dictionaries five years ago are now the working vocabulary every communications team uses. For the current AI-era equivalent of this dictionary update, see The GEO Glossary: 22 Definitions for the Answer-Engine Era.