The following words were added to the Oxford (OED), Merriam-Webster (MW), Cambridge (CD) and/or Collins (C) dictionaries over the course of 2025.

AI slop, n.: generative-AI output that feels lazy, soulless, or just wrong. If you fell for that video of rabbits on a trampoline, you’ve been a victim of AI slop. ^{[Merriam-Webster Word of the Year]}

baddie, n.: “A confident, stylish, and attractive woman.” (MW)

bee’s dick, n.: “Slang. A very small distance or amount.” (OED)

biohacking, n.: the activity of altering the natural processes of one’s body in an attempt to improve one’s health and longevity (C)

broligarchy, n. slang: a small clique of very wealthy men who exert political influence (C)

burnt toast theory, n.: “The idea that a minor inconvenience, like burning your toast in the morning, might actually be preventing something worse happening later in the day.” (CD)

butthurt, adj. and n.: “Upset or offended in a way that seems over-the-top or silly.” (MW)

cash grab, n.: “The greedy pursuit of an opportunity for making money, especially when done without regard for ethics, concerns, or consequences.” (MW)

declinism, n.: “The belief that a particular country, society, institution, etc., is in a state of significant, and possibly irreversible, decline.” (OED)

delulu, adj. n.: “Believing things that are not real or true, usually because you choose to.” (CD)

deplatform, v.: “transitive. To prevent (a person, group, or organization) from contributing to a public forum or debate, (later) esp. by blocking them on a particular website or social media platform.” (OED)

digital sobriety, n.: “The practice of using computers, smartphones, etc. less in order to reduce the negative impact of technology on the environment.” (CD)

ethnocracy, n.: “A state or polity that is run by or in the interests of a dominant racial or ethnic group.” (OED)

fast tech, n.: “Electronic products that are made and sold cheaply, and often replaced, leading to e-waste.” (CD)

grawlix, n.: “A random string of typographical symbols (such as %@$&*!) used in place of an obscenity, esp. in comic strips.” (OED)

guyliner, n.: “Eyeliner that is worn by men.” (OED)

gynophobic, adj.: “Relating to, characterized by, or exhibiting fear or hatred of women, esp. regarding their sexuality or genitals.” (OED)

IDGAF: “I don’t give a f—.” (MW)

perviness, n.: “The state or condition of being pervy; lasciviousness, lewdness.”

poncified, adj.: “Made overly or unnecessarily fancy or elaborate.”

rage bait, n. Internet and social media content designed to provoke and polarise. ^{[OED Word of the Year]}

roman salute, n.: “A gesture indicating allegiance to Fascist ideology, made by thrusting the right arm forward and upward with the fingers outstretched and the palm facing down” (OED)

shadow ban, v.: “To cause (a user or their content) to be hidden from some or all other users usually without the user’s knowledge.” (MW)

sigma, n: “A person who is coolly self-assured, independent, and driven.” (MW)

sinking ship, n.: “In figurative use, denoting an organization, enterprise, undertaking, etc., that is in terminal decline, or facing imminent failure or collapse.” (OED)

taskmasking, n. slang: the act of giving a false impression that one is being productive in the workplace (C)

technofossil, n. slang: Obsolete technology that represents a bygone digital era (CD)

touch grass, v.: “To participate in normal activities in the real world, especially as opposed to online experiences and interactions.” (MW)

truth bomb, n.: “A blunt, forthright, or candid statement, esp. one which causes shock or discomfort, or contains a disconcerting or unpalatable truth.” (OED)

Waiting In the wings:

Zombie Fact (n.): misinformation that persists in the face of evidence against it. Myths and bullshit that just won’t die and could kill you.

Old Words (America Made Great Again):

Kakistocracy: a government run by the worst, least qualified, or most unscrupulous citizens. The word was coined as early as the seventeenth century.