Cambridge Dictionary has added more than 6,000 new words, phrases and meanings in the past year, with entries ranging from internet slang to political portmanteaux. Among the most striking additions are skibidi, delulu, tradwife and broligarchy — each reflecting the influence of social media and online culture on everyday English.
Skibidi, popularised by the viral YouTube series Skibidi Toilet, has become a catch-all slang term used by Gen Alpha, the generation born in the 2010s. It can mean “cool,” “bad,” or simply act as a nonsense exclamation. The term has filtered into mainstream culture, helped along by celebrity references, including Kim Kardashian’s post of a necklace engraved “Skibidi Toilet.”
Another online-born word, delulu — a playful take on “delusional” — has crossed into politics. Earlier this year, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese used the phrase “delulu with no solulu” during a parliamentary speech, cementing its journey from stan culture to official record. Fashion and lifestyle trends also feature, with lewk (“a distinctive look or outfit”) and inspo (“short for inspiration”) both gaining formal recognition after years of use in digital communities.
More controversial is the entry of tradwife, short for “traditional wife,” describing women, often on social media, who embrace stay-at-home domestic roles. Figures like Hannah Neeleman of @ballerinafarm have become emblematic of the movement, which has sparked both admiration and criticism. Meanwhile, broligarchy — a blend of “bro” and “oligarchy” — has been used to describe the concentration of power among wealthy male tech leaders such as Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg.
In total, the Cambridge Dictionary recorded 6,212 new additions, alongside its regular programme of revisions and bilingual expansions. Colin McIntosh, Lexical Programme Manager, said the updates underline how quickly digital culture is reshaping English: “It’s not every day you get to see words like skibidi and delulu make their way into the Cambridge Dictionary. We only add words where we think they’ll have staying power. Internet culture is changing the English language and the effect is fascinating to observe and capture.”
Image credit: Cambridge University
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