Stop the presses: Is the dictionary dead?
Sheer number of words added to next version of the Oxford English Dictionary may make it too big and expensive to print
www.cbsnews.comHere are the latest publicly reported updates on the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) as of now.
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OED March 2026 update highlights: The quarterly update adds more than 500 new words, phrases, and senses, including terms like doomscrolling and to touch grass, with substantial revisions to existing word families. This reflects ongoing expansion and refinement of the online dictionary rather than a print edition, aligning with how OED is updated today.[2]
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Platform and accessibility: The OED/Oxford Languages have continued to improve platform usability and accessibility, with updates to entry layout and navigation across their digital platform, emphasizing broader discoverability for users worldwide. This is part of a broader push to make the dictionary more usable across devices and for diverse languages and communities.[1]
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The broader publishing approach: The OED is a living, online resource that undergoes quarterly updates rather than a single, monolithic print release; historical reporting about print concerns from earlier decades has shifted to online-first updates and platform enhancements in recent years. Contemporary reporting tends to focus on online content additions and platform improvements rather than traditional print cycles.[5]
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Context on recent word additions: Notable recent additions cover contemporary usage and internet-era terms, reflecting how English evolves in popular culture and technology; the March 2026 update explicitly mentions new words and senses as part of its update cycle. This demonstrates the OED’s ongoing response to language change in real time.[2]
If you’d like, I can pull the exact list of the 2026 additions and provide a quick glossary of the most notable new terms with definitions and example usages. Would you like that?[2]