Author Talks: The made-up words that make our world

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Find the right words ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ 
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AN ARTICLE A DAY, PICKED BY OUR EDITORS
New words are constantly entering our lexicon—to take just one example, in 2021, Merriam-Webster added entries for deplatform, whataboutism, and dozens of other new terms. This is common, and additions often are based on the state of the world, drawing from online culture, politics, food, science, and technology. While language is a reflection of our culture at any given time, words do not always capture a specific feeling or emotion, which is why John Koenig wrote his own, The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, to fill the gaps in our language of emotion. "We allow our words to define us, but I think the natural order of things is that we define words," he says. Don't miss this compelling conversation from McKinsey’s Author Talks series on the ever-evolving nature of language; whether you’re nyctous or feeling hem-jawed (some of Koenig’s favorite words), this one’s for you.
— Joyce Yoo, digital editor, New York
John Koenig headshot
 
Author Talks: The made-up words that make our world
Walking through an empty office. Moving out of a childhood home. Struggling to write something original. Experiences like these often lack the perfect word, so John Koenig spent more than a decade writing his own dictionary.
Find the right words  
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by "McKinsey Daily Read" <publishing@email.mckinsey.com> - 06:17 - 26 Jan 2022