buzzword

A buzzword (also known as a fashion word or vogue word) is an idiom, often a neologism, commonly used in managerial, technical, administrative, and sometimes political environments. Though apparently ubiquitous in these environments, the words often have unclear meanings.^{[citation needed]}

Buzzwords are typically intended to impress one's audience with the pretense of knowledge. For this reason, they are often universal. They typically make sentences difficult to dispute, on account of their cloudy meaning.^[1]

Buzzwords differ from jargon in that they have the function of impressing or of obscuring meaning, while jargon (ideally) has a well-defined technical meaning, if only to specialists. However, the hype surrounding new technologies often turns technical terms into buzzwords (see Buzzword compliant).^{[citation needed]}

A buzzword may or may not appear in a dictionary, and if it does, its meaning as a buzzword may not match the conventional definition.

Reasons for using buzzwords

• A generous view allows that buzzwords have the same function as jargon in scientific disciplines: newly-minted terms to describe new concepts, without the danger of over-simplification and confusion that can arise from using words and phrases with previously established, commonplace meanings.^{[citation needed]}
• Buzzwords can also function to control thought by being intentionally vague. In management, stating organizational goals by using words with unclear meanings prevents anybody from questioning the directions and intentions of these decisions, especially if many such words are used.^{[citation needed]} (See also newspeak, Machiavelli.)
• An extremely charitable interpretation might claim that the intentionally vague phrase may boost individual thinking and creativity by deliberately raising questions.^{[citation needed]}
• Buzzwords have also been defined as a way to make something of marginal or no importance appear to have much greater meaning or to say nothing with as many words as possible. ^[2]

Examples

Below are a few examples of common buzzwords. For a more complete list, see list of buzzwords.

• Dynamic
• Empowerment^[3]
• Enterprise^[4]
• Framework^[3]
• Immersion^[5]
• Leverage^[6]
• Long Tail^[7]
• Next Generation^[4]
• Paradigm^[8]
• Paradigm shift^[9]
• Proactive^[10]
• Synergy^[10]
• Web 2.0^[3]
• Chrismukkah

See also

• Buzzword bingo
• Buzzword compliant
• Dilbert — cartoon series satirizing buzzword use in management.
• Golden hammer
• Memetics
• Marketing speak
• Power word
• Psychobabble
• Weasel Word
• List of buzzwords

External links

• Buzzword Blends
• The Buzzword Generator Generates buzzwords and sample sentences containing such generated buzzwords
• LanguageMonitor — Watchdog on contemporary English usage
• Mission Statement Generator (on Dilbert website)
• Buzzword Hell
• BuzzWhack
• N-Gage At E3 Showcases Immersive Games And Next-Generation Mobile Gaming — an example of buzzwords in action.
• The Web Economy Bullshit Generator

References

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