If you ever thought words like skibidi or delulu were destined to stay trapped in TikTok scrolls and YouTube comments, think again. They now live forever in one of the world’s most respected linguistic vaults: the Cambridge Dictionary.
On Monday, Cambridge University Press announced the addition of more than 6,000 new words and phrases to its online edition, reflecting just how fast Gen Z and Gen Alpha slang is reshaping the English language.
“It’s not every day you get to see words like skibidi and delulu make their way into the Cambridge Dictionary,” said Colin McIntosh, lexical programme manager at Cambridge Dictionary, in comments to AFP.
“Internet culture is changing the English language and the effect is fascinating to observe and capture in the Dictionary.”
McIntosh stressed that the dictionary does not rush into trends. “We only add words where we think they'll have staying power," he told AP.
From ‘tradwife’ to ‘mouse jiggler’
Among the new arrivals is tradwife — a portmanteau of “traditional wife” — which Cambridge notes reflects “a growing, controversial Instagram and TikTok trend that embraces traditional gender roles.” AP explained the term refers to a married mother who cooks, cleans and often documents her domestic life online.
Other entries include delulu, short for delusional, defined as “believing things that are not real or true, usually because you choose to.” The dictionary even cites a recent political example: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s 2025 parliamentary quip that someone was “delulu with no solulu,” AFP reported.
Working from home also gets its share of linguistic creativity. The term mouse jiggler — a device or software that makes it look like an employee’s computer is active — now officially belongs in Cambridge’s pages.
Meanwhile, growing climate concerns gave rise to the entry forever chemical, defined as harmful man-made substances that persist in the environment for years.
‘Skibidi’ and the language of brain rot
Perhaps the most eyebrow-raising addition is skibidi. Originally a gibberish catchphrase spread by the viral YouTube series “Skibidi Toilet,” the term is described as having “different meanings such as cool or bad, or can be used with no real meaning,” according to AFP.
AP reported that Cambridge sees the word as a prime example of how internet gibberish mutates into usable slang. For many Gen Alpha fans, skibidi is inseparable from the world of “brain rot” memes — the mindless, rapid-fire content dominating social media feeds.
Other newcomers include lewk, a RuPaul’s Drag Race–popularised term describing a striking fashion look, and inspo, a clipped form of “inspiration.”
Cambridge Dictionary says it relies on its massive Cambridge English Corpus — over 2 billion words of written and spoken English — to track which new words endure. But even the experts admit they’re still a little awed by what makes the cut.
“What the skibidi is happening to the English language?” AP mused in its report.
On Monday, Cambridge University Press announced the addition of more than 6,000 new words and phrases to its online edition, reflecting just how fast Gen Z and Gen Alpha slang is reshaping the English language.
“It’s not every day you get to see words like skibidi and delulu make their way into the Cambridge Dictionary,” said Colin McIntosh, lexical programme manager at Cambridge Dictionary, in comments to AFP.
“Internet culture is changing the English language and the effect is fascinating to observe and capture in the Dictionary.”
McIntosh stressed that the dictionary does not rush into trends. “We only add words where we think they'll have staying power," he told AP.
From ‘tradwife’ to ‘mouse jiggler’
Among the new arrivals is tradwife — a portmanteau of “traditional wife” — which Cambridge notes reflects “a growing, controversial Instagram and TikTok trend that embraces traditional gender roles.” AP explained the term refers to a married mother who cooks, cleans and often documents her domestic life online.
Other entries include delulu, short for delusional, defined as “believing things that are not real or true, usually because you choose to.” The dictionary even cites a recent political example: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s 2025 parliamentary quip that someone was “delulu with no solulu,” AFP reported.
Working from home also gets its share of linguistic creativity. The term mouse jiggler — a device or software that makes it look like an employee’s computer is active — now officially belongs in Cambridge’s pages.
Meanwhile, growing climate concerns gave rise to the entry forever chemical, defined as harmful man-made substances that persist in the environment for years.
‘Skibidi’ and the language of brain rot
Perhaps the most eyebrow-raising addition is skibidi. Originally a gibberish catchphrase spread by the viral YouTube series “Skibidi Toilet,” the term is described as having “different meanings such as cool or bad, or can be used with no real meaning,” according to AFP.
AP reported that Cambridge sees the word as a prime example of how internet gibberish mutates into usable slang. For many Gen Alpha fans, skibidi is inseparable from the world of “brain rot” memes — the mindless, rapid-fire content dominating social media feeds.
Other newcomers include lewk, a RuPaul’s Drag Race–popularised term describing a striking fashion look, and inspo, a clipped form of “inspiration.”
Cambridge Dictionary says it relies on its massive Cambridge English Corpus — over 2 billion words of written and spoken English — to track which new words endure. But even the experts admit they’re still a little awed by what makes the cut.
“What the skibidi is happening to the English language?” AP mused in its report.
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