New words for the term

Every week, the Macmillan dictionary team search the media to find out the newest and most interesting words being used in the English language, and you can find their ‘Word of the Week’ on the www.macmillandictionary.com website. Thanks to lexicographer Kerry Maxwell and her compilation book Macmillan Words of the Year, we’ll be featuring a couple of these words each term to keep your vocabulary up to date. We will also include examples taken from a variety of print and electronic sources, illustrating how the words are used.

The words we have chosen for this term are:

infomania (uncountable noun):

If you regularly send a quick text message while talking to someone, or frequently check your emails during your working day, you could be suffering from a new and widespread addiction, potentially more harmful to your concentration than anything else! Sufferers of infomania are distracted from daily tasks because they have the constant urge to read and reply to electronic messages.

'The abuse of 'always-on' technology has led to a nationwide state of infomania where UK workers are literally adicted to checking email and text messages during meetings, in the evening and at weekends.'

(999 Today, 22nd April 2005) 

wardrobe malfunction (countable noun):

The next time you have that awkward situation of discovering that your jeans zip is undone, you could disguise your embarassment by apologising for a wardrobe malfunction. A wardrobe malfunction is a situation where a person, especially a celebrity or someone in public life, accidentally exposes a part of their body because of some kind of problem with what they are wearing.

'Tara Reid says she had no idea she was flashing the paparazzi when the strap of her dress slipped off her left shoulder... The 29-year-old actress said she was upset at the photographers' reaction to her wardrobe malfunction.'

(Chicago Sun-Times, 22nd January 2005)