There are more than 3500 new entries in the eighth edition of Macquarie Dictionary and, as usual, many reflect our changing times, but sent to the publisher before COVID-19 hit, it would seem.

Two additions – climate strike and eco-anxiety – indicate our heightened focus on the environment and sustainability.

Climate strike is defined as “a protest against lack of action on climate change, held within school or work hours” and eco-anxiety as “feelings of distress and fear brought on by the effects of climate change”.

Other words added include:

Hair doughnut: a doughnut-shaped sponge or similar material used as the support for a doughnut bun or similar updo.

Rat tamer: Colloquial, a psychologist or psychiatrist.

Sadfishing: Colloquial, the practice adopted by some people, especially on social media, of exaggerating claims about their emotional problems to generate sympathy.

Schnitty: Colloquial, a schnitzel, especially a chicken schnitzel.

Stepmonster: Colloquial (humorous) (sometimes derogatory) a stepmother.

Zoodle: a spiralised strand of zucchini, sometimes used as a substitute for pasta.

Ngangkari: an Indigenous practitioner of bush medicine; healer.

Macquarie says on its site: “Lastly, something a little lighter. We think the Macquarie Dictionary Eighth Edition has plenty of BDE: noun, colloquial, a sense of self-confidence, unaccompanied by arrogance or conceit.  Also, big dick energy [from the supposed self-assuredness possessed by a man with a large penis].

Macquarie’s word of the year will be announced in December.

Its 2019 word of the year was cancel culture: the attitudes within a community that call for or bring about the withdrawal of support from a public figure, such as cancellation of an acting role, a ban on playing an artist’s music, removal from social media, etc., usually in response to an accusation of a socially unacceptable action or comment.

The 2018 word of the year was Me Too, referring to the Me Too movement and relating to “an accusation of sexual harassment or sexual assault, especially as having occurred at some time in the past and which has since remained undisclosed”.