NEOM

What Does NEOM Mean in a Text?

The Quick Answer

NEOM is an acronym which means "New Future" and "New Enterprise Operating Model."

New Future

NEOM was first used publicly with the meaning "New Future" on 24 October 2017, when Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) announced the launch of a project involving the construction of a futuristic $500 billion city that will be built to run entirely on alternative energy. The first three letters of NEOM ("NEO") come from the Greek word for "New"; the final letter ("M") is an abbreviation of the Arabic word "Mostaqbal" which means "Future." NEOM will be built on land along Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coast, near Egypt and Jordan, and will span the three countries. The city will focus on up-and-coming industries such as digital sciences, advanced manufacturing, biotech and technology. NEOM is part of a plan to diversify the Saudi economy away from dependence on oil exports. It will be a hub for new technologies, including the creation of drones, driver-less cars and robotics. Here are examples of NEOM in conversations with the meaning "New Future":

Sam: Isn't NEOM the Keanu Reeves character out of The Matrix?
Fran: That's Neo, you dork!

Jo: That NEOM project in the desert looks interesting.
Les: Especially if you sell aircon systems.

New Enterprise Operating Model

In business circles, the abbreviation NEOM is also used with the meaning "New Enterprise Operating Model." This is a term used to refer to the adaptation of companies to developments in information technology.

An Image for NEOM

When I write NEOM, I mean this:

Official logo of NEOM: a "New Future" for the gulf region.

Summary of Key Points

We have summarized the key points in the table below:

NEOM
Definition:	New Future
Type:	Acronym
Guessability:	4: Difficult to Guess
Typical Users:	Specialists

Second Definition of NEOM

"New Enterprise Operating Model" is a common definition for NEOM in business circles.

NEOM
Definition:	New Enterprise Operating Model
Type:	Abbreviation and Acronym
Guessability:	4: Difficult to Guess
Typical Users:	Specialists

An Academic Look at NEOM

When used with the meaning "New Future," NEOM is an acronym (i.e., an abbreviation spoken like a word). Acronyms differ from initialism abbreviations, which are pronounced using their individual letters. When used with the meaning "New Enterprise Operating Model," NEOM is both an acronym and an initialism abbreviations, because it can be spoken like a word and pronounced using its individual letters (i.e., Enn Eee Oh Emm).