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A buzzword (also known as a fashion word or vogue word) is an idiom, often a neologism, commonly used in managerial, technical, administrative, and sometimes political environments. Though apparently ubiquitous in these environments, the words often have unclear meanings.^{[citation needed]}

Buzzwords are typically intended to impress one's audience with the pretense of knowledge. For this reason, they are often universal. They typically make sentences difficult to dispute, on account of their cloudy meaning.^[1]

Buzzwords differ from jargon in that they have the function of impressing or of obscuring meaning, while jargon (ideally) has a well-defined technical meaning, if only to specialists. However, the hype surrounding new technologies often turns technical terms into buzzwords (see Buzzword compliant).^{[citation needed]}

A buzzword may or may not appear in a dictionary, and if it does, its meaning as a buzzword may not match the conventional definition.

Contents 1 Reasons for using buzzwords 2 Detailed Examples 3 Individual Examples 4 See also 5 External links 6 Footnotes

• As with any stipulative neologism, such as "quark," to describe new concepts, without the danger of over-simplification and confusion that can arise from using words and phrases with previously established, commonplace meanings.
• To control thought by being intentionally vague. In management, stating organizational goals by using words with unclear meanings but positive connotations prevents anybody from questioning the directions and intentions of these decisions, especially if many such words are used.^{[citation needed]} (See also newspeak, Machiavelli.)
• To boost creativity among listeners by compelling them to think of the applications and particulars on their own.
• To make something trivial seem freighted with greater import and stature.
• To impress a judge or examiner by seeming familiar with a theory or principle by dint of mere name-dropping, as with "cognitive dissonance" or the "Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle."
• To provide a camouflague for saying nothing in particular.

• To retain power as a leader effectively, Machiavelli noted that a prince should speak of mercy, humanity, peace, and faith, while preparing for war all-the-while, ready to wage it quickly and mightily. Thus, his speech-writers would be encouraged to use the appropriate buzzwords liberally. ^[2]

• In 1950, the year he won the Nobel Prize for literature, Bertrand Russell wryly observed, "It is not difficult to learn the correct use of such words as 'complex,' 'sadism,' Oedipus,' 'bourgeois,' 'deviation,' 'left,' and nothing more is needed to make a brilliant writer or talker." ^[3]

• Law students often speak of using buzzwords in order to get full credit on essay questions and bar examinations. For example, on a torts question concerning a case of negligence, saying the defendant's conduct was close enough in time and place to be deemed the legal cause of the plaintiff's injuries may be literally correct but lose points, since the buzzword, "proximate cause," was omitted. The omission sends a signal to the professor or grader that the student has not read the cases carefully and not gained the proper legal vocabulary. Thus, the student's desire to employ the words that create a special effect, or buzz, in another's mind.

This article or section appears to contain a large number of buzzwords. Please help rewrite this article to make it more concrete and meaningful.

Below are a few examples of common buzzwords. For a more complete list, see list of buzzwords.

• Dynamic
• Empowerment^[4]
• Enterprise^[5]
• Framework^[4]
• Immersion^[6]
• Leverage^[7]
• Long Tail^[8]
• Next Generation^[5]
• Paradigm^[9]
• Paradigm shift^[10]
• Proactive^[11]
• Synergy^[11]
• Web 2.0^[4]
• Chrismukkah

• Buzzword bingo
• Buzzword compliant
• Dilbert — cartoon series satirizing buzzword use in management.
• Golden hammer
• Memetics
• Marketing speak
• Power word
• Psychobabble
• Weasel Word
• List of buzzwords

• Buzzword Blends
• The Buzzword Generator Generates buzzwords and sample sentences containing such generated buzzwords
• LanguageMonitor — Watchdog on contemporary English usage
• Mission Statement Generator (on Dilbert website)
• Buzzword Hell
• BuzzWhack
• N-Gage At E3 Showcases Immersive Games And Next-Generation Mobile Gaming — an example of buzzwords in action.
• The Web Economy Bullshit Generator
• http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ThomasSowell/2007/05/29/a_war_of_words -- on livng wage, affordable housing, etc.

v • d • e Propaganda techniques
Bandwagon effect · Buzzword · Card stacking · Code word · Dog-whistle politics · Doublespeak · Framing · Glittering generality · Power word · Lesser of two evils principle · Loaded language · Newspeak · Public relations · Plain folks · Testimonial · Weasel word