Released on, Aug. 19 — August 19, 2025 at 7:12 AM
New terms embraced by Generation Z and Generation Alpha, such as “skibidi,” “delulu,” and “tradwife,” have been added to the online version of the Cambridge Dictionary this past year, according to the publisher, which announced this on Monday.
The Cambridge University Press noted that “tradwife,” a blend of “traditional” and “wife,” represents “an emerging, contentious trend on Instagram and TikTok that promotes conventional gender roles.”
The dictionary also faced the task of explaining “skibidi,” a term that gained popularity through internet memes, describing it as a word with “various interpretations ranging from positive to negative, or sometimes used without clear significance.”
A nonsensical term gained popularity through a YouTube channel named “Skibidi Toilet,” and it is linked to the aimless, “mind-numbing” material seen on social media platforms, which resonates with the predominantly online habits of Generation Alpha.
The dictionary describes “delulu,” which comes from the term “delusional,” as “holding beliefs that are false or untrue, often due to one’s own choice.” For instance, it referenced a 2025 address in parliament where Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, “delulu without any solulu.”
“Rarely do we encounter terms such as ‘skibidi’ and ‘delulu’ being added to the Cambridge Dictionary,” remarked Colin McIntosh, who serves as the Lexical Program Manager at the Cambridge Dictionary.
we insert terms only when we believe they will endure. internet trends are influencing the english language, and this development is intriguing to witness and document in the dictionary.
Additional new expressions are “lewk,” which refers to an distinctive style of dress and gained popularity through RuPaul’s Drag Race, along with “inspo,” a contraction of inspiration.
The remote work trend has led to the creation of “mouse jiggers,” which are devices used to simulate activity when one isn’t actually working. Additionally, “forever chemicals” refer to synthetic substances that persist in the environment for extended periods, becoming more widely discussed as worries increase regarding the long-term effects of climate change on human and ecological well-being.