Genius Mashups: Epic Portmanteaus We Use All the Time

English is ever-evolving. As new technologies arise, we develop new words to describe them, and each new generation creates new slang terms from old classics. 

Portmanteau is one of the many fun ways English adapts. 

What’s a Portmanteau?

graphic with words mash up on it and describing a portmantaue.
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A portmanteau is a mash-up of two words to create a new word. One of the earliest examples in modern English is “suitcase,” a combination of the words “suit” and “case” that describes a case explicitly used to carry suits. 

Here are some of the best modern portmanteaus we use every day!

Brunch

egg bacon and avocado breakfast.
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The mash-up between breakfast and lunch became the go-to meal for casual Sunday afternoon dining. 

Frenemy

Women standing back to back.
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A frenemy describes a rocky relationship where two people claim to be friends while constantly trying to sabotage each other. 

Askhole

man shrugging wearing a blue sweater on a light purple background.
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Someone who constantly asks annoying and obvious questions just to get on your nerves. We know they’re doing it on purpose. 

Gianormous

Man standing next to a giant sequoia tree.
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Did we need a word for something bigger than gigantic and enormous? The mash-up between the two humungous words describes something so big you can’t even imagine it. 

Listicle

Person reading an online newspaper on a tablet.
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The bain of every journalist’s existence turns lists into articles. It’s an easy, user-friendly format for reporting that works well for online content. 

Mansplain

Smiling man pointing to himself
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A mash-up of “man” and “explain” describes instances where men attempt to overexplain things to women. It often refers to novice men who try to explain an expert woman’s field to her or when men try to explain simple concepts everyone knows to a woman. 

Adorkable

Cool woman dressed in trendy clothes on a light blue background
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She’s a dork, but it’s so darn adorable. This fun portmanteau describes someone who’s delightfully dorky. 

Bromance

male friends smiling and hugging.
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A bromance celebrates platonic love in male friendships. It combines the word “bro” (short for brother) with “romance” to signify the deep bond between friends. 

Hangry

man touching his belly, he looks like he's sick from the face he's making.
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Hangry is the perfect portmanteau we never knew we needed. Most of us get cranky when hungry, and someone finally dared to describe the feeling by combining “hungry” with “angry.”

Hobosexual

man on couch with beer, chips, and tv remote who looks lazy
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Hobosexual is a portmanteau that plays off the words we use to describe sexuality. A hobosexual is a hobo who uses romantic relationships to secure living arrangements. 

Hobosexuals are typically attracted to whoever will take care of them. 

Emoticon

person using their phone with various graphic emoticons popping out.
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New technology forces us to use new lexicons to describe them. What do you call an icon that’s used to convey emotion? Emoticon seems like the perfect solution. 

Chillax

Man relaxing on a couch watching his phone.
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If you just want to relax and chill out, you’re probably looking to chillax. The slang portmanteau can also be used as a verb, like telling someone to calm down. 

Mantrum

Angry man yelling and pointing his finger towards the camera
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Women’s communities created a new portmanteau to describe the emotional meltdowns many men exhibit when things don’t go their way. Combining “man” with “tantrum,” the word expresses the unique anger men display, which may include shouting, screaming, or even punching walls. 

More Portmantaues

Woman speaking with letters coming out of her mouth.
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Language abounds with portmanteaus. Email, biopic, newscast, blog, motel, and brainiac are all examples of portmanteaus that became common English words. Some of us may not even realize these words are portmanteaus!

The fun thing about a living language is it’s constantly adapting and changing. Maybe “adorkable” will be a common word in 100 years while the root words get lost in the sands of time. Only time will tell, so enjoy the portmanteaus while they’re fresh, and make new ones up for yourself!

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