Neologism
A newly coined word or phrase, or an existing word given a new meaning — and the process that keeps a language from being a museum.
Full definition of Neologism →:: COMPARE ::
NeologismvsSlang
The short answer
A neologism is new; slang is informal. They overlap heavily but are different axes — a technical term coined last year is a neologism and not slang, and a slang word two centuries old is slang and not a neologism.
Side by side
| Aspect | Neologism | Slang |
|---|---|---|
| Defined by | Newness | Register |
| Can be formal | Yes | No |
| Can be old | No | Yes |
| Overlap | Large | Large |
What each one means
Slang
The contrast above sets out how Slang differs from Neologism on the points that actually matter.