Ключевое слово: «semantics»

The article discovers the emergence and functioning of neologisms in English, based on the September 2024 update of the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary as a primary source. The aim of the study is to systematize and classify new lexical units in terms of their semantics, formation mechanisms, and thematic domains. The theoretical section studies various definitions of the term “neologism” and outlines the main types of word-formation processes, including affixation, compounding, conversion, borrowing, and semantic shift. The empirical part is based on the analysis of 62 neologisms, categorized by their thematic field: medicine, technology, socio-cultural issues, gastronomy and slang. The findings show that the most productive areas for the emergence of new vocabulary are medicine and technology, while the neologisms themselves reflect key trends in the social and cultural evolution of modern society. The study confirms that neologisms serve as markers of sociolinguistic change and respond to the communicative needs of our developing world.