buzzword

See also: buzz-word and buzz word

English

Examples (English words often considered buzzwords)
win-win empowerment paradigm shift sustainability

Alternative forms

• buzz word, buzz-word

Etymology

Coined in the 1970s in the United States, from buzz +‎ word.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈbʌzwɜː(ɹ)d/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈbʌzwɜɹd/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌzwɜː(ɹ)d
• Hyphenation: buzz‧word

Noun

buzzword (plural buzzwords)

1. (sometimes derogatory) A word drawn from, or imitative of, technical jargon, used more to impress others than to convey meaning.

   Their salespeople know all the right buzzwords, but they can't really help you solve your problems.

   • 1972 May 14, Marylyn Bender, “Harvard's Brahmin Radical”, in The New York Times‎^[1], →ISSN:

     Ideology is a [George Cabot] Lodge buzzword, as they say in business schools, the first word that sends many executives and students who would emulate them, into fury.

   • 2018 June 19, Gideon Lewis-Kraus, “Inside the Crypto World's Biggest Scandal”, in Wired‎^[2], →ISSN:

     There is great confusion and debate about what a blockchain even is—some people argue it’s become a meaningless buzzword—but the standard definition describes a shared, decentralized, cryptographically secure, immutable digital ledger.

Derived terms

• buzz-phrase
• buzzword bingo
• buzzword compliance
• buzzword compliant
• buzzwordy

 

Descendants

• → Dutch: buzzword, buzzwoord
• → French: buzzword
• → German: Buzzword
• → Hebrew: זמזומילה (zimzumilá) (calque)
• → Irish: dordfhocal (calque)
• → Polish: buzzword
• → Portuguese: buzzword
• → Swedish: buzzword

Translations

word drawn from or imitative of technical jargon

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 流行詞 / 流行词 (liúxíngcí), 行話 / 行话 (zh) (hánghuà)

• Danish: modeord n
• Dutch: buzzwoord (nl) n, modewoord (nl) n
• Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: iskusana (fi), muotisana (fi), kapulakielinen sana
• German: Modewort (de) n, sinnentleertes Modewort n, Schlagwort (de) n, leeres Schlagwort n, abgedroschene Phrase f, Buzzword n
• Hebrew: זמזומילה f (zimzumilá)
• Hungarian: hívószó (hu), divatszó (hu), bűvszó, frázis (hu), szlogen (hu), klisé (hu)
• Icelandic: tískuorð m
• Irish: dordfhocal m
• Japanese: バズワード (bazuwādo)
• Korean: please add this translation if you can
• Polish: buzzword (pl) m
• Portuguese: buzzword (pt) m or f, palavra de efeito (pt)
• Russian: мо́дное сло́во n (módnoje slóvo)
• Spanish: palabra de moda, expresión en voga f, cantinela (es) f, clishé m
• Swedish: buzzword n
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Estonian: kantseliit

See also

• blind with science

Portuguese

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English buzzword.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /bɐˈzwoʁ.d͡ʒi/ [bɐˈzwoɦ.d͡ʒi], /bɐˈzwoʁd͡ʒ/ [bɐˈzwoɦd͡ʒ]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /bɐˈzwoʁ.d͡ʒi/ [bɐˈzwoɦ.d͡ʒi], /bɐˈzwoʁd͡ʒ/ [bɐˈzwoɦd͡ʒ]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /bɐˈzwoɾ.d͡ʒi/, /bɐˈzwoɾd͡ʒ/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /bɐˈzwoʁ.d͡ʒi/, /bɐˈzwoʁd͡ʒ/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /bɐˈzwoɻd͡ʒ/, /bɐˈzwoɻ.d͡ʒi/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /bɐˈzwoɾd/ [bɐˈzwoɾð]

• Rhymes: -azwoʁdʒi, -azwoɾd
• Hyphenation: buzz‧word

Noun

buzzword f (plural buzzwords)

1. buzzword (fashionable technical jargon)