Larousse dictionary adds 150 new French words - which ones do you know?
The new words come from trends in sport, nature, leisure, food, medicine, and the rest of the French-speaking world
The dictionary typically includes new words that capture the zeitgeist and new trends, but which are also widely used
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Famous French dictionary Larousse has added 150 new French words to its 2026 edition of the illustrated Petit Larousse, spanning issues including the environment and new leisure and food trends.
The first edition of the Petit Larousse dictionary appeared in 1905, with a section of dictionary definitions, plus an encyclopaedia of proper nouns.
This latest list was unveiled on April 23, and the new dictionary edition will be released on May 21, with approximately 63,000 words included overall.
Around 2,000 to 3,000 new words are typically shortlisted for each new edition, with a team finally whittling the new list down to 150, which summarise major trends or new cultural shifts.
Still continually updated today, the dictionary considers two major criteria to include a word in its list:
The word must be widely used (by several generations, several professions, etc.)
The word must be sufficiently common (it must be encountered regularly in everyday usage)
Carine Girac-Marinier, director of the French language at Larousse publishing, told BFMTV: “For a word to be included in the dictionary, it must be used extensively. The second criterion is qualitative, corresponding to how widely the word is shared. The word must be used by all generations and all socio-professional categories.”
For example, last year, the dictionary writers discarded the word ‘iel’ from its selection, because, despite it being a gender-neutral term that mixes ‘il’ and ‘elle’ (him/her, he/she) and becoming increasingly well-known, the team found that it was being actively used only by campaigners in the space.
The new Petit Larousse words come less than six months after the Académie Française published its own new dictionary edition, almost 90 years after the publication of the previous one.
Read also: Wokisme, vegan: The ‘new’ words added to French dictionary
New words in that edition included télétravail (working from home), wokisme (a school of thought advocating the raising of awareness of the inequalities in Western societies), and radiotoxicité (radiation toxicity caused by exposure to high amounts of ionizing radiation in a short period of time).
Last year’s edition of the Larousse dictionary (2025) notably included some new anglicisms, including ‘fast-fashion’, ‘skatepark’, and ‘empouvoirement’ (the act of being empowered, from the US word).
New notable words
Some of the most notable new words for the 2026 edition include:
Disability
BOCCIA (Italian word for ‘bowl’). A sport similar to pétanque, played indoors by people in wheelchairs, who must use their hands, feet or a device (a ramp) to throw leather balls as close as possible to a white ball of the same size, called the jack. A Paralympic sport, with no direct equivalent sport for able-bodied players.
Personne à MOBILITÉ réduite (PRM, person with reduced mobility). A person who has difficulty moving and/or travelling, either permanently or temporarily, usually due to using a wheelchair. Can also refer to people who have difficulty moving due to their age and/or state of health (eg. pregnancy or illness).
Environment
ENSEMENCEMENT des nuages (Cloud seeding). Somewhat-controversial technique for modifying weather conditions by sending particles (e.g. silver iodide) into clouds to promote the formation of water droplets, in order to cause rain or snow, either to prevent hail storms or to combat drought.
LARMES de sirène ou de mer (Siren or sea tears; microbeads). Tiny plastic beads, also known as industrial plastic pellets (IPP), which are used in the manufacture of most plastic objects. Can cause long-term pollution of marine ecosystems. Many have called for their ban.
MICROMOBILITÉ (Micromobility). All types of individual transport that are environmentally friendly, lightweight, compact and easily transportable, generally powered by electricity (e.g. scooters and folding bicycles).
Sports, arts, and leisure
COORDINATEUR d'intimité (intimacy coordinator). A person responsible for the well-being and consent of actors during film or play scenes involving physical proximity (e.g. nude or sex scenes).
DRAMÉDIE (dramedy). A film or series combining the genres of drama and comedy.
GLAMPING (from glamour and camping). A type of high-end camping that combines comfort, originality and respect for the environment. It offers unusual accommodation in a natural setting.
K-DRAMA. All television series produced in South Korea, with international success. Based on scripts generally written by women, K-dramas cover a wide range of genres and themes, including romance and thriller.
PADEL (Spanish pádel, from English paddle / racket). A sport similar to tennis in which four players with rackets hit a ball over a net within a 20 m by 10 m court enclosed by glass and wire mesh.
Lecteur SENSIBLE (from the English sensitive/sensitivity reader). A person appointed by a publisher to identify any content in a text that could be perceived as offensive, inappropriate or inaccurate before it is published.
URBEX (abbreviation of English ‘urban exploration’). An activity that involves entering abandoned and often off-limit places, to explore and photograph them. Often dangerous. Illegal in France.
Food and gastronomy
FOOD TRUCK (English words). A small truck converted into a mobile kitchen, usually serving a specific type of food, particularly ‘street food’ or ‘dirty food’ (e.g. extra-indulgent burgers and fries etc) to take away.
Digital and technological innovations
Societal changes
APLAVENTRISME (from à plat ventre, flat stomach; on your stomach). An attitude of submission towards someone, a group or country, in order to gain advantage or avoid conflict.
ASEXUEL/ELLE. Someone who feels no sexual desire or attraction to anyone and has no fantasies or libido. In France, asexuality is considered a sexual orientation.
PAIR-AIDANCE (from pair and aider). A method of supporting a patient on their path to recovery, based on the sharing of experiences by people, known as peer supporters, who have had the same life experience (e.g. psychological disorders, illnesses, addiction). Provides emotional support and information to patients in a support group, association or medical centre.
TELEPRESENTIAL (from the words telework and presential). Refers to distance learning or teaching that allows students to follow live courses on the Internet, under the same conditions as face-to-face learning.
Everyday words
BADER (from the English bad). Informal. To be demoralised, sad, down, depressed, worried, anxious, or stressed. E.g. “Il a badé pour ses examens.”
CAPÉ/E (from the English capped, in sports). Said of an experienced professional: He's a very capé presenter; or of a qualified position: He applied for a job that was too capé for him.
GROS. Colloquial. Friend (especially a classmate); buddy, mate.
Medicine and science
PERIMENOPAUSE. A period of two to four years before menopause, characterised by irregular cycles and a number of symptoms (irritability, hot flushes, sleep issues).
Regional words
Political and legal
SURACCIDENT. An accident (e.g. a car accident) that occurs after an initial accident and makes it worse.
TAPISSAGE. Police ‘line up’ procedure, in which a suspect in a crime or offence is lined up alongside several people who resemble them, to a victim (or witness) protected by a two-way mirror, to determine whether they recognise the suspect.
Violences VICARIANTES (vicarious violence). Domestic violence (particularly murder) perpetrated against a person's children by their spouse or ex-spouse, when they are unable to harm the person themselves.
Words from the rest of the French-speaking world
ASTRUQUER. From French Canadian. To swallow wrong; to choke while eating: Don't eat so fast, you'll choke!
DIALOGUEUR/EUSE. From Switzerland. A person employed by an NGO or charity who attempts to engage passers-by in conversation in order to explain the causes and raise funds.
REGIONALISM. From Maghreb, Africa. Preference based on regional affiliation (political favouritism for candidates from one's region, for example).
PROCÉDURIER. From Quebec. Document that details all the procedures, instructions and steps involved in performing a task; procedure guide.
Read also: ‘Chauffer son char’: Québécois French phrases added to Google Translate
Famous personalities
The edition also includes a mention of famous personalities who have made an impact in the year previous.
Among those to be featured in the 2026 Larrousse include:
Cyclist Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, recent winner of the Paris-Roubaix race
Gold medal-winning swimmer Léon Marchand
Francophile American actress Jodie Foster
Monaco/French filmmakers Danièle Thompson and Cédric Klapisch
Chinese pianist Lang Lang
Three-Michelin star chef Gérald Passedat.
