Future Words: New Terms Like Puregatory and Lifehoarding Capture Our Anxious, Optimized Times

Trend forecasters Rohit Bhargava and Henry Coutinho-Mason have compiled a new book, Future Words, that coins terms to describe life in the late 2020s. The collection includes 'puregatory' – the plight of trying to live ethically when even responsible choices feel compromised – and 'lifehoarding', or optimizing so hard for longevity that life itself goes unlived. Other entries like 'flawnting' capture the influencer trend of publicly performing imperfection to signal authenticity. The book, out next week, reflects a world where our devices, data, algorithms, and AI increasingly dictate daily life, with people seeking authentic human connection in response. The authors acknowledge AI's role in creating the book, a fitting irony given the themes. These new words matter because they give us language to articulate the unique anxieties of our time, from ethical consumption dilemmas to the pressure of constant self-optimization. As the pace of change accelerates, such coinages help us name and navigate the strange new realities of modern existence. Ultimately, Future Words suggests we are living in an era of fretful optimization, where even our attempts to live well can feel compromised.