What does neologizing mean?
Neologizing is the process of creating and introducing new words or expressions. It can refer to a writer deliberately inventing unfamiliar terms, to a specialized field developing fresh terminology, or more generally to the continual renewal of vocabulary. The word is chiefly literary and scholarly rather than everyday, and it often carries an implication of experimentation: the new expression may be vivid and memorable, but it can also sound awkward or excessive. Neologizing is closely related to coining, although a coined word need not become accepted standard usage. In this form, neologizing functions as a present participle or gerund and may describe an activity, a style, or a creative impulse. It is especially associated with literary criticism, linguistics, and discussions of contemporary language.
verb (present participle and gerund)Neologizing is the act of coining, inventing, or introducing a new word or expression into use, especially in writing or creative work.
- Using neologizing is the process of coining or introducing new words and expressions, particularly in literature, criticism, or linguistic innovation.
"The novelist's neologizing style gives ordinary scenes a strange, dreamlike quality."
"By neologizing vivid compounds, the poet gives the language an unfamiliar texture."
"The essay discusses how technical communities develop jargon through constant neologizing."
Neologizing turns language in a new direction: every unfamiliar word is a small invention waiting to be understood.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of neologizing
Neologizing derives from neologism, a word formed from the Greek néos, meaning “new,” and lógos, meaning “word” or “study.” The suffix -ize was added to form the verb neologize, meaning “to coin or use new words.” The related forms neology and neologist have followed the same Greek foundation.
Related word forms
How neologizing is actually used
This is a relatively uncommon, literary or scholarly form. It is more often used to describe a writer's or a language's practice of creating new vocabulary than used in everyday conversation. The spelling is also sometimes given as neologising in British English.
Easily confused with neologizing
A neologism is a newly coined word or expression, whereas neologizing is the activity of creating or introducing such words.