The selection below of a few of the more familiar or outstanding words that have entered English since the 1940s reveals a great deal about the changes that occurred in the world during the past sixty years. It also shows, decade by decade, how the language has reflected these changes.

Many of the words on the lists below appeared first in one of the Random House dictionaries. For example, the first general dictionary to include Internet and World Wide Web was Random House Webster's College Dictionary.

Random House Webster's has established a reputation for capturing new words faster than any other dictionary. A fuller listing of words from each decade can be found in Random House Webster's College Dictionary.