Portmanteau words are made from blending the sounds and combining the meanings of two other words. Portmanteau words adopt the meanings of both words.
These are some examples:
- Adware (advertising + software) - online advertisements that generate revenue.
- Alphanumeric (alphabetic + numeric) – consisting of letters and numbers.
- Biopic (biography + picture) – a biographical film.
- Bit (binary + digit) - basic unit of digital information.
- Blog (web + log) - online journal or diary (vlog is the term for “video log”).
- Bollywood (Bombay + Hollywood) – the Hindi film industry based in Mumbai.
- Botox (botulism + toxin) – an injectable drug that uses a strain of botulism to treat signs of aging on the skin.
- Brexit (Britain + exit) – the withdrawal of Great Britain from the European Union in 2020, after voting to leave in a 2016 referendum.
- Brunch - Breakfast and Lunch.
- Cosplay (costume + roleplay) – an art or practice where people dress as fictional characters.
- Cyborg (cybernetic + organism) – a creature with human features created using mechanical components.
- email (electronic + mail) – the electronic alternative to paper mail communication.
- Emoticon (emotion + icon) – facial expressions or emotions expressed through keyboard symbols.
- Frenemy (friend + enemy) – someone who acts like or pretends to be a friend despite an underlying rivalry.
- Fortnight (fourteen + night) – two weeks of fourteen nights.
- Gastropub (gastronomy + pub) – a bar that serves gourmet food.
- Glamping (glamorous + camping) – a style of camping that includes luxurious comforts and supplies
- Internet (interconnected + network) – a computer network of information.
- Jeggings (jeans + leggings) – leggings designed to resemble denim jeans.
- Labradoodle (labrador + poodle) – a hybrid dog breed with parentage from a labrador retriever and a poodle.
- Malware (malicious + software) - software designed to cause damage to a computer or network.
- Metaverse (meta + universe) – a virtual environment meant for social connection.
- Modem (modulator + demodulator) - device that transmits data from one computer to another.
- Motel - Motor and Hotel
- Netiquette (network + etiquette) - proper online behavior and manners.
- Romcom (romance + comedy) - a comedy story that has elements of a romance.
- Sitcom (situation + comedy) - narrative comedy story based on a specific situation.
- Smog - Smoke and Fog
- Staycation - Stay and Vacation
- Vlog (video + log) – a video-based diary published online.
- Webinar (web + seminar) – a presentation or seminar held online.
- Workaholic (work/alcoholic) - an individual who works excessive hours.