Ugg-Lovers, Rejoice! 'Basic' Has An Updated Definition In This Dictionary
In a move that would make YouTube star Lohanthony proud, our modern colloquial definition of the word "basic" has officially been added to Dictionary.com, the site announced Wednesday.
Besides including the standard definitions of "basic," the word's entry now includes the following:
Slang.
a. (especially of a female) characterized by predictable or unoriginal style, interests, or behavior:
Those basic girls who follow trends.
b. (of things) boringly predictable or unoriginal:
His lyrics are just so basic.
Being added to Dictionary.com isn't as legit as being included in a print dictionary like Merriam-Webster, but to that, we say: Who actually uses a print dictionary anymore anyway? That's what we thought.
“We noticed that these new senses are being used exclusively as slang in casual contexts... As the term achieved widespread usage, people began to use it in reference to material displays (drinking pumpkin lattes, wearing Uggs, caring about brand names) that they believed to be indicative of shallow behavior," Jane Solomon, Dictionary.com's lexicographer, told The Huffington Post.
The website added or modified over 1,000 words in this latest update to their catalog, and the new definition of "basic" is just one of many changes. Dox (meaning to publish the private personal information of another person without the consent of that individual) and ship (meaning to take an interest in a romantic relationship between fictional characters or famous people) are more examples, and you can view the full list on the site's official blog.
This move follows OxfordDictionaries.com -- not to be confused with the more serious print Oxford English Dictionary -- adding "duck face" and "sideboob", among more slang terms, to their lexicon in 2014. Oxford Dictionaries does not, however, include an updated "basic" definition -- but Dictionary.com doesn't include duck face or sideboob, either.
But you know what online dictionary does include all these words plus many, many more words you never knew existed? UrbanDictionary.com, duh. See you on the dark side.
