Portmanteau

Entertainment Portmanteau Examples
Lots of entertainment buzzwords are actually portmanteaus. They abbreviate concepts for movies,
television, and music to make them more appealing to an audience. Here are some portmanteau words
that you may have read in an entertainment magazine:
1. Bollywood (Bombay + Hollywood) - the Indian film industry

2. brony (bro/brother + My Li le Pony) - male fandom of the My Li le Pony series
3. biopic (biography + picture) - biographical movie about a real person’s life
4. cosplay (costume + roleplay) - hobby in which people (roleplayers) dress up and act as fic onal
characters offstage
5. dramedy (drama + comedy) - a story that has both drama c and comedic elements
6. edutainment (educa on + entertainment) - entertainment meant to inform its viewers
7. infomercial (informa on + commercial) - adver sement that relays informa on
8. lis cle (list + ar cle) - ar cle that features a list of items
9. mockumentary (mock + documentary) - a fic onal story in the style of a documentary movie
10. newscast (news + broadcast) - television or radio show about current events
11. Pokémon (pocket + monsters) - popular Japanese anima on about fic onal creatures that ba le
each other
12. prequel (previous + sequel) - sequel to a film or book that occurs earlier in the fic onal meline
than its predecessor
13. sitcom (situa on + comedy) - narra ve comedy story based on a specific situa on
14. telethon (television + marathon) - con nuous televised fundraiser
Newsworthy Portmanteaus
The news media is another area that creates a lot of portmanteaus. It makes their content readable and
engaging for an audience. Here are a few popular portmanteaus that you may see while skimming a news
ar cle or broadcast:
1. affluenza (affluent + influenza) - belief that a person’s wealthy status causes lack of mo va on
and empathy
2. botox (botulism + toxin) - dermatological procedure that injects a strain of botulism into the skin
to prevent and treat wrinkles
3. Brexit (Britain + exit) - the 2016 referendum for Britain to leave the European Union
4. Ebonics (ebony + phonics) - term to describe a common dialect in the American black community
5. Juneteenth (June + nineteenth) - Freedom Day in the black community that commemorates the
emancipa on of the last American slaves and the official end of slavery
6. Medicare (medical + care) - a government-funded healthcare plan for specific ci zens
7. Obamacare (Barack Obama + healthcare) - popular term for the Affordable Healthcare Act passed
during the Obama presidency)
8. Reaganomics (Ronald Reagan + economics) - “trickle-down” economic policy in the Reagan
presidency)
9. smog (smoke + fog) - polluted air
10. stagfla on (stagna on + infla on) - a con nuous period of high infla on and unemployment
Classic Portmanteau Examples
Many portmanteaus are hiding in the dic onary as regular words! Take a look at the list below to learn
which words you may not have known are actually portmanteaus.
1. ampersand (and + per se + and) - & symbol that means “and”

2. dumbfounded (dumb + confounded) - surprised into silence
3. electrocute (electricity + execute) - to kill with electricity
4. flare (flair + glare) - a burst of light
5. fortnight (fourteen + night) - period of fourteen nights, or two week
6. gerrymander (Elbridge Gerry + salamander) - redistric ng an area to include favorable voters for
a poli cian or party (named for Governor Elbridge Gerry who started the prac ce in 1812, and the
salamander-shaped district he created in Massachuse s)
7. motel (motor + hotel) - lodging designed for motorists
8. shepherd (sheep + herder) - person who minds a flock of sheep
9. spla er (splash + spa er) - wet messy marks
10. squander (sca er + wander) - to spend one’s me or money frivolously
11. stash (store + cache) - hidden collec on of valuables
12. taxicab (taximeter + cabriolet) - automobile that transports paying customers to their des na ons
13. Velcro (velvet + crochet) - brand of fabric adhesives
Technology Portmanteau Examples
The technological world is infamous for its nicknames, acronyms, and abbrevia ons. But most
technological shorthand is actually made of portmanteaus! See how many of these technological words
you already knew.
1. adware (adver sing + so ware) - online adver sements that generate revenue
2. animatronics (anima on + electronics) - mechanical puppets
3. bionic (biology + electronic) - mechanical body parts
4. bit (binary + digit) - basic unit of digital informa on
5. blog (web + log) - online journal or diary (vlog is the term for “video log”)
6. breathalyzer (breath + analyzer) - tool for analyzing someone’s alcohol consump on by scanning
their breath
7. cyborg (cyberne c + organism) - robo c human or animal
8. email (electronic + mail) - electronic method of communica on
9. emo con (emo on + icon) - typed symbols that appear to show faces (e.g., :) ) before the
introduc on of emoji
10. imagineer (imagine + engineer) - an engineer who works on crea ve projects
11. intercom (internal + communica on) - loudspeaker system that sends audio messages to selected
people
12. malware (malicious + so ware) - so ware designed to cause damage to a computer or network
13. modem (modulator + demodulator) - device that transmits data from one computer to another
14. ne que e (network + e que e) - proper online behavior and manners
15. pixel (picture + element) - an individual photographic element of a televised or computerized
image
16. podcast (iPod + broadcast) - an audio talk show that was first available on iPods
17. webinar (web + seminar) - mee ng or lesson available on the Internet
Food Portmanteau Examples
Some of your favorite new foods may actually be portmanteaus. Words like froyo and frappuccino are
embedded in our modern culinary lexicon – and they’re delicious, too! Other common food portmanteaus
include:
1. cronut (croissant + doughnut) - flaky iced pastry

2. frappuccino (frappé + cappuccino) - iced coffee drink
3. froyo (frozen + yogurt) - frozen treat made of yogurt
4. grapple (grape + apple) - hybrid of a grape and an apple
5. mocktail (mock + cocktail) - cocktail without alcohol
6. popsicle (pop + icicle) - frozen treat made of juice
7. pluot (plum + apricot) - hybrid stone fruit, also known as plumcot or aprium
8. Silk (soy + milk) - line of soy milk products
9. Spam (spiced + ham) - canned meat product
10. tofurky (tofu + turkey) - tofu food product flavored to taste like turkey
Animal Portmanteau Examples
Examples of dog breed portmanteaus include:
1. Aussiedoodle - Australian Shepherd and a Poodle

2. Chug - Chihuahua and a Pug
3. Cockapoo - Cocker Spaniel and a Poodle
4. Horgi - Husky and a Corgi
5. Labradoodle - Labrador and a Poodle
6. Mal poo - Maltese and a Poodle
7. Pitsky - Pit Bull and a Husky
8. Puggle - Pug and a Beagle
9. Beefalo - buffalo and a cow, also known as Ca alo
10. Cama - camel and a llama
11. Coywolf - coyote and a wolf
12. Geep - goat and a sheep
13. Grolar Bear - grizzly bear and a polar bear
14. Liger - lion and a ger, also known as a Tigion
15. Wallaroo - wallaby and a kangaroo
16. Wholphin - false killer whale and a dolphin
17. Zonkey - zebra and a donkey
Conversa onal Portmanteaus
Have you ever heard a new slang word that sounded like two words mixed together? Now you
know that it probably was! Read these popular portmanteaus that might crop up in your everyday
conversa ons:
1. athleisure (athle c + leisure) - comfortable sports a re meant for leisure

2. brainiac (brain + maniac) - a very smart person
3. bromance (bro/brother + romance) - close friendship between two males
4. chillax (chill + relax) - admoni on to tell someone to calm down
5. fauxhawk (faux and mohawk) - hairstyle that is styled to look like a mohawk
6. frenemy (friend + enemy) - friends who don’t always get along, or enemies who don’t always fight
with each other
7. ginormous (gigan c/giant + enormous) - very large
8. glamping (glamorous + camping) - camping with luxurious se ngs and supplies
9. guess mate (guess + es mate) - an es mate made without enough informa on or data
10. hangry (hungry + angry) - the feeling you get when your hunger affects your emo ons
11. jeggings (jeans + leggings) - leggings that look like denim jeans
12. sheeple (sheep + people) - derogatory term for those who are perceived to follow orders and
avoid cri cal thinking
13. snark (snide + remark) - a sarcas c or dry comment
14. stayca on (stay + vaca on) - a vaca on in one’s own town
15. threepeat (three + repeat) - a three- me repeat of an event, usually a championship
56 common and unexpected portmanteau examples
1. advertorial (adver sement + editorial) – an adver sement that takes the form of a wri en
editorial
2. affluenza (affluence + influenza) – unhealthy feelings of en tlement or lack of mo va on
experienced by wealthy people
3. alphanumeric (alphabe c + numeric) – consis ng of le ers and numbers
4. animatronics (anima on + electronics) – the electronic anima on of puppets or similar figures to
create lifelike effects
5. anklet (ankle + bracelet) – jewelry designed to wrap around the ankle
6. athleisure (athle c + leisure) – comfortable clothing that can be worn for exercise or as casual,
everyday a re
7. Botox (botulism + toxin) – an injectable drug that uses a strain of botulism to treat signs of aging
on the skin
8. breathalyzer (breath + analyzer) – a device used to analyze a person’s breath for their blood
alcohol content or to detect viruses
9. carjack (car + hijack) – the of an automobile using violence or in mida on
10. celebutante (celebrity + debutante) – a wealthy person who receives media a en on akin to that
of a celebrity
11. cyborg (cyberne c + organism) – a creature with human features created using mechanical
components
12. fortnight (fourteen + night) – two weeks of fourteen nights
13. fauxhawk (faux + mohawk) – hair that’s styled to look like a mohawk
14. glamping (glamorous + camping) – a style of camping that includes luxurious comforts and
supplies
15. hazmat (hazardous + material) – substances that could be dangerous if not properly contained
16. intercom (internal + communica on) – a two-way speaker system used to communicate among
people in a specific loca on
17. internet (interconnected + network) – a computer network of informa on
18. lis cle (list + ar cle) – an ar cle forma ed as a list
19. metaverse (meta + universe) – a virtual environment meant for social connec on
20. newscast (news + broadcast) – a radio or television segment that features current events
21. Obamacare (Obama + healthcare) – a colloquial term that describes the Affordable Care Act
created under President Barack Obama’s administra on
22. pluot (plum + apricot) – a hybrid stone fruit that combines the characteris cs of a plum and an
apricot
23. podcast (iPod + broadcast) – a digital audio program that can be downloaded and listened to on
demand
24. popsicle (pop + icicle) – a frozen dessert, typically made with fruit juice or fruit flavor
25. smog (smoke + fog) – hazy, polluted air
26. spork (spoon + fork) – an ea ng utensil that serves as both a spoon and a fork
27. stash (store + cache) – a secret hiding place where valuables are kept
28. vlog (video + log) – a video-based diary published online
29. webinar (web + seminar) – a presenta on or seminar held online

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Entertainment Portmanteau Examples

1. Bollywood (Bombay + Hollywood) - the Indian ﬁlm industry

1. ampersand (and + per se + and) - & symbol that means “and”

Technology Portmanteau Examples

Food Portmanteau Examples

1. cronut (croissant + doughnut) - ﬂaky iced pastry

Animal Portmanteau Examples

Examples of dog breed portmanteaus include:

1. Aussiedoodle - Australian Shepherd and a Poodle

1. athleisure (athle c + leisure) - comfortable sports a re meant for leisure

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