New Gender Neutral Term ‘Mx’ Has Joined ‘Mr’ And ‘Mrs’ In The Dictionary

A new ‘gender neutral’ term Mx has joined Mr, Mrs, Ms and Miss in the dictionary - meant to be used by transgender people and those who do not wish to identify their gender.

It was joined by other words such as ‘bestie, feels, fleek, sapiosexual’ on Dictionary.com.

It’s defined as ‘a title of respect prefixed to a person’s surname: unlike Mr., Mrs., or Ms., it does not indicate gender and may be used by a person with any or no specific gender identity.’

The Oxford English Dictionary are also due to add the term ‘Mx’.

Jane Solomon of the Dictionary.com blog said, ‘The need for a gender-neutral prefix seems to be very, very top of mind for people.

‘We’re starting to see a real cultural shift in which people are talking more openly about gender. You have ongoing conversation about gender in the public eye.

The honorific ‘Mx’ is already used by several councils and by the Royal Bank of Scotland within Britain.

Jonathan Dent, assistant editor to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), said, The title is the first new honorific to be accepted as an addition to the current set of gender identifiers.”

‘This is an example of how the English language adapts to people’s needs, with people using language in ways that suit them rather than letting language dictate identity to them.

‘When you look at the usual drop-down options for titles, they tend to be quite formal and embrace traditional status such as the relationship between a man and wife, such as Mr and Mrs, or a profession such as Dr or even Lord. This is something new.