# "Embiggen" is now a perfectly cromulent word **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 6, 2018, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embiggen-is-now-a-perfectly-cromulent-word/810105 "2018-03-06T08:43:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2018, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embiggen-is-now-a-perfectly-cromulent-word/810105/1 "2018-03-06T08:43:45Z")
[At least according to Merriam-Webster, that is.](http://www.businessinsider.com/embiggen-simpsons-2018-3?r=UK&IR=T) Embiggen, [defined as](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/embiggen) “to make bigger or more expansive : enlarge, expand”, is part of the new crop of words the dictionary has added this year. Can “crapulence”, “boostafazoo”, “adultivity”, and “dumbening” be far behind? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2018, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embiggen-is-now-a-perfectly-cromulent-word/810105/2 "2018-03-06T09:01:43Z")
Truthiness. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2018, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embiggen-is-now-a-perfectly-cromulent-word/810105/3 "2018-03-06T10:24:35Z")
What’s funny is that in a couple of articles I read, they cited its ongoing use by the teen Ms. Marvel, Kamala Khan, for its continued use. Then they go to the Simpsons origin. > **[Merriam-Webster Now Recognizes 'Embiggen' as a Perfectly Cromulent Word](https://gizmodo.com/merriam-webster-now-recognizes-embiggen-as-a-perfectly-1823514228)** > > Pop culture plays a huge part in the process of transforming made up, nonsensical words into perfectly acceptable parts of the lexicon. Today, Merriam-Webster announced via Twitter that “embiggen”—a word that frequently pops up in Marvel’s Ms. Marvel... ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2018, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embiggen-is-now-a-perfectly-cromulent-word/810105/4 "2018-03-06T12:19:02Z")
> [@](#): > > What’s funny is that in a couple of articles I read, they cited its ongoing use by the teen Ms. Marvel, Kamala Khan, for its continued use. Hey, don’t knock Ms. Marvel, it has [close to 15,000 readers](http://www.comichron.com/monthlycomicssales/2018/2018-01.html)! Oh, and [OED did it first](https://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2017/04/11/oxford-dictionary-new-words/). ([D’oh and meh came even earlier](https://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2014/12/17/simpsons-doh-meh-english-language/).) ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2018, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embiggen-is-now-a-perfectly-cromulent-word/810105/5 "2018-03-06T12:37:25Z")
Well, “Boatjacking” has been around since 1979… ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2018, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embiggen-is-now-a-perfectly-cromulent-word/810105/6 "2018-03-06T15:01:00Z")
Now I can finally start work on my [debigulator and rebigulator](https://simpsonswiki.com/wiki/Debigulator) devices. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2018, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embiggen-is-now-a-perfectly-cromulent-word/810105/7 "2018-03-06T15:05:25Z")
Aside: My nieces go to a high school named “Magnificat”. I like to say that that translates into English as “embiggens”. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2018, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embiggen-is-now-a-perfectly-cromulent-word/810105/8 "2018-03-06T16:09:36Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Now I can finally start work on my [debigulator and rebigulator](https://simpsonswiki.com/wiki/Debigulator) devices. I prefer the [finglonger](https://www.google.com/search?q=finglonger&client=firefox-b-1&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjTtLGIitjZAhUKna0KHdQADkUQ7AkINg&biw=1056&bih=509). > [@Chronos](#): > > Aside: My nieces go to a high school named “Magnificat”. I like to say that that translates into English as “embiggens”. Don’t spread disinformation. Obviously the more accurate translation is “make cat bigger.” ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2018, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embiggen-is-now-a-perfectly-cromulent-word/810105/9 "2018-03-06T16:38:51Z")
Hey, I would go to that school. How loud does a ‘Magnificat’ meow? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2018, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embiggen-is-now-a-perfectly-cromulent-word/810105/10 "2018-03-06T17:17:13Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Hey, I would go to that school. How loud does a ‘Magnificat’ meow? [Be careful what you wish for](https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-K4I2yb-dyzw/V-fevmo_pqI/AAAAAAAAToY/RuUq1-0iWnIY7FhR3hRAey2PnTMQTpyYgCLcB/s1600/Aurora%2B1.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2018, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embiggen-is-now-a-perfectly-cromulent-word/810105/11 "2018-03-06T18:14:26Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Can “crapulence”, “boostafazoo”, “adultivity”, and “dumbening” be far behind? More like, far ahead: crapulence is attested to from the [1650s](http://www.dictionary.com/browse/crapulence). The joke wouldn’t have worked if it was Monty Burns using a neologism. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2018, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embiggen-is-now-a-perfectly-cromulent-word/810105/12 "2018-03-06T20:55:45Z")
> [@Lightray](#): > > More like, far ahead: crapulence is attested to from the [1650s](http://www.dictionary.com/browse/crapulence). The joke wouldn’t have worked if it was Monty Burns using a neologism. That depends - how long has it been since his last boweling? ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2018, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embiggen-is-now-a-perfectly-cromulent-word/810105/13 "2018-03-06T22:54:08Z")
I use cromulent all the time. That word seems at least as cromulent as embiggen. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2018, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embiggen-is-now-a-perfectly-cromulent-word/810105/14 "2018-03-06T23:28:56Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > [At least according to Merriam-Webster, that is.](http://www.businessinsider.com/embiggen-simpsons-2018-3?r=UK&IR=T) > > Embiggen, [defined as](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/embiggen) “to make bigger or more expansive : enlarge, expand”, is part of the new crop of words the dictionary has added this year. > [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Oh, and [OED did it first](https://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2017/04/11/oxford-dictionary-new-words/). ([D’oh and meh came even earlier](https://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2014/12/17/simpsons-doh-meh-english-language/).) I am so bloody happy right now. ---
**Author:** ![Jungian\_Camisole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8baadc/32.png) [@Jungian\_Camisole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jungian_Camisole)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2018, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embiggen-is-now-a-perfectly-cromulent-word/810105/15 "2018-03-07T00:54:37Z")
Unpossible! ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2018, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embiggen-is-now-a-perfectly-cromulent-word/810105/16 "2018-03-07T01:01:40Z")
When are they going to change Uranus to Urectum? ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2023, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embiggen-is-now-a-perfectly-cromulent-word/810105/17 "2023-09-30T23:23:58Z")
UPDATE: Merriam-Webster has now determined “cromulent” itself to be of sufficient cromulence for inclusion. [https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/4228895-merriam-webster-adds-word-first-used-on-the-simpsons-to-dictionary/](https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/4228895-merriam-webster-adds-word-first-used-on-the-simpsons-to-dictionary/) ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2023, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embiggen-is-now-a-perfectly-cromulent-word/810105/18 "2023-10-01T02:22:57Z")
You there, fill it up with petroleum distillate and re-vulcanize my tires, post haste. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2023, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embiggen-is-now-a-perfectly-cromulent-word/810105/19 "2023-10-01T02:24:54Z")
And get this to the Prussian consulate in Siam by aeromail! Am I too late for the 4:30 autogyro? ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2023, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embiggen-is-now-a-perfectly-cromulent-word/810105/20 "2023-10-01T02:45:25Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > UPDATE: Merriam-Webster has now determined “cromulent” itself to be of sufficient cromulence for inclusion. I was under the impression they had done so years ago. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embiggen-is-now-a-perfectly-cromulent-word/810105.md?page=2)