neology

US: (nē ol′ə jē)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

ne•ol•o•gy  (nē ol′ə jē), n., pl. -gies. 

1. Psychiatry neologism.

• French néologie. See neo-, -logy
• 1790–1800;

ne•o•log•i•cal  (nē′ə loj′i kəl), ne′o•log′ic, adj.  ne′o•log′i•cal•ly, adv. 

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

ne•ol•o•gism /niˈɑləˌdʒɪzəm/   n. 

1. Linguistics a new word or phrase or an existing word used in a new sense:
   [countable] Some neologisms have entered the language from computers, such as the word mouse meaning "pointing device.''

See -log-.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

ne•ol•o•gism  (nē ol′ə jiz′əm), n. 

1. Linguistics a new word, meaning, usage, or phrase.
2. Linguistics, Psychiatry the introduction or use of new words or new senses of existing words.
3. a new doctrine, esp. a new interpretation of sacred writings.
4. Psychiatry a new word, often consisting of a combination of other words, that is understood only by the speaker: occurring most often in the speech of schizophrenics.

• French néologisme. See neology, -ism
• 1790–1800

ne•ol′o•gist, n. 
ne•ol′o•gis′tic, ne•ol′o•gis′ti•cal, adj. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

neologism / nɪˈɒləˌdʒɪzəm/, neology noun ( -gisms, -gies)

1. a newly coined word, or a phrase or familiar word used in a new sense
2. the practice of using or introducing neologisms

Etymology: 18th Century: via French from neo- + -logism, from Greek logos word, saying

neˈologist noun