8 Words That Had to Be Redefined Because of Trump


Words Trump Redefined

Donald Trump may think he’s some kind of genius, but all of those brilliant yet mysteriously unknown people (called lexicographers) who are in charge of choosing words in all of our dictionaries would likely disagree. In fact, both Merriam-Webster and  Dictionary.com have been trolling the president pretty much since he was elected. As Trump likes to make up his own words and alter the meanings of certain terms to better suit his needs, the higher powers behind the twitter pages of these well-known references are forced to correct the big man in the Oval Office on a regular basis. Perhaps they’ve grown tired of editing his outbursts because Trump’s idiocy has actually altered a handful of definitions. Here’s a list of words that had to be redefined because of Trump.

1. Post-Truth

Words Trump Redefined

Post-truth: 1. Relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief. 2. Belonging to a time in which truth has become irrelevant, such as anytime Donald Trump speaks.

Often used to describe today’s political climate, post-truth politics refers to Trumps cult-like supporters who don’t necessarily care about his lies. Or his blatant sexism. Or his obvious racism. Or his numerous affairs. Or his incompetence. Poor Clinton was impeached after getting a lousy blowjob, but meanwhile, Trump is banging prostitutes and porn stars and Republicans hardly bat an eye.

2. Alt-Right

Words Trump Redefined

Alt-Right: 1. A right-wing, primarily online political movement or grouping based in the U.S. whose members reject mainstream conservative politics and espouse extremist beliefs and policies typically centered on ideas of white nationalism. 2. Modern-day white supremacists. 3. Trump supporters.

Remember when Republicans were more conservative and less Nazi-like? It would seem that the people who call themselves Republicans these days needed a whole new term to describe their beliefs. Alt-right describes those who follow extreme right-wing politics, like neo-nazis, white supremacists, and anyone who voted for Trump because they thought he’d actually build a wall at Mexico’s border.

3. Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Words Trump Redefined

Narcissistic Personality Disorder: 1. A personality disorder characterized especially by an exaggerated sense of self-importance, persistent need for admiration, lack of empathy for others, excessive pride in achievements, and snobbish, disdainful, or patronizing attitudes. 2. Donald Trump.

While narcissistic personality disorder has been around since the ’70s, it has only recently gained enough popularity to be added to the dictionary. Perhaps because people are busy researching the disorder that many speculate our president suffers from. Obviously, the definition needed to be altered a bit to include Trump’s name, as he’s a fine example of everything this personality disorder embodies. 

4. Dumpster Fire

Words Trump Redefined

Dumpster Fire: 1. An utterly calamitous or mismanaged situation or occurrence. 2. Trump’s presidency so far.

There’s truly no better term to describe Trump’s presidency. The phrase can be used to describe dozens of situations over these last few years with the Don in office as well as his term as a whole. For example, immigrant families being separated is a dumpster fire. Migrant children thrown in cages. Dumpster fire. Each and every one of Trump’s tweets posted after 9 pm. Dumpster fire. Trump and Melania’s marriage. An absolute dumpster fire. You get the drift.

5. Antifa

Words Trump Redefined

Antifa: 1. A person or group actively opposing fascism. 2. An anti-fascist movement. 3. Members of the anti-Trump movement.

The word “antifa” was created by the German Communist party back in 1932, labeling the group of people who were determined to fight Nazism. After World War II, the word sort of disappeared as it wasn’t needed. Now that Nazis are back, so are those who oppose them, also known as antifas. The word was just added to the dictionary and now refers to the anti-Trump, anti-Nazi, anti-racism, anti-sexist, anti-homophobic, etc. movement that is going on these days.

6. Echo Chamber

Words Trump Redefined

Echo Chamber: 1. An environment, especially on a social media site, in which any statement of opinion is likely to be greeted with approval because it will only be read or heard by people who hold similar views. 2. Anything reported by Fox News or published on www.foxnews.com.

An echo chamber used to refer to producing the right sound, but since Trump came into office, dictionaries have added a significant extension to the word’s meaning. The term now also applies to the environment created by some media outlets and social media pages that share an opinion they know their audience will eat up. Whether it’s for clicks or likes, it’s usually more of an attention seeking action. Kind of like sharing half-naked photos on Instagram, except an echo chamber leaves little or no room for debate over the shared opinion.

7. Snollygoster

Snollygoster: a shrewd and unprincipled person, especially an unprincipled politician

Trump may not have encouraged lexicographers to rewrite the definition of the word “snollygoster,” but he did get them to bring it back. Apparently, words get cut from our dictionaries as they stop being used but every now and then they back a come back. Removed back in 2003, the word can be traced back only to the mid-1800’s and seemed to lose it’s popularity just a hundred years later. It started making a come back when Harry Truman was president, often used in satire. Bill O’Reilly’s regular use of the word alongside Trump’s presidency gave the word a second life, and now snollygoster is one of those words that we can all enjoy once again!

8. Hate-Speech Filter Evaders 

Words Trump Redefined

“Hate-speech filter evaders” isn’t the word that was redefined, but the words that fall under its umbrella. Social media platforms use an algorithm to remove hate-speech from their websites, one that doesn’t always function properly. This is why you might notice that something gets removed from your Facebook or Instagram page for seemingly no reason. To get around this, people (usually the alt-right types) have taken everyday words to create a sort of hate-speech code. Prepare yourself for some incredibly shameful racism.

Googles: A hate-speech filter evader referring to black Americans.
Yahoos: A hate-speech filter evader referring to Mexican-Americans.
Skypes: A hate-speech filter evader referring to those who practice Jewdism.
Skittles: A hate-speech filter evader referring to Muslims.

So, instead of writing truly disgusting things that social media algorithms would be able to pick up and delete, people are using the redefined words above to ensure their content sticks. Common phrases include, “Chain the googles,” and “Gas the yahoos.” People will do just about anything to try and spread bigotry.

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Rose Burke

Freelance writer and art enthusiast, Rose Burke, often writes humorous essays inspired by awkward dating experiences and life’s cruel sense of humor. When she's not doing that, she's typically writing entertainment articles on women's issues, politics, feminism, and other trending topics her readers love. Her work has been published in The Southampton Review, The Conium Review, The Richest, The Independent, CINEMABLEND, and more. Author of the popular feminist blog series "Writings of the Satirical Feminista," Rose is currently focusing on a collection of humorous personal essays while she travels the world.

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