Definition: To make bigger or more expansive. (Merriam-Webster)

Sample usage: “A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man.” (Jebediah Springfield)

Popularity: The word made its most notable appearance in the above quote from a 1996 “Simpsons” episode, so it’s not exactly new. But Merriam-Webster has welcomed it into the official dictionary, so it’s now a bonafide word. You know what this means, right? Cromulent in 2019, that’s what it means.

 

JAMES LILEKS

 

Interested in other words we’ve dissected? See more at startribune.com/word.