Here we go again! The most popular words/phrases of 2025, highlighting how language reflects cultural and societal trends. Pick the one you think should be or will be 2025 Word of the Year. Listed are some of the dictionary contenders. Add one of your own if you prefer... Tariffs are essentially taxes imposed on goods as they cross international borders. In 2025 it was referenced in all Trade Negotiations worldwide and has been utilized as a wedge, threat or a wrecking ball. Just go with the vibes. That’s the essence of vibe coding. A term that captures something fundamental about our evolving relationship with technology. Coined by AI pioneer Andrej Karpathy, vibe coding refers to the use of artificial intelligence prompted by natural language to write computer code. “67” is not a word at all. It originates from Skrilla’s December 2024 song ‘Doot Doot 6 7 and has evolved from being just the height of a basketball player to a nonsensical expression often blurted out by Generation Alpha, even prompting a call-and-answer response when someone shouts “six” and others respond “seven.” It also comes with an accompanying “juggling” hand gesture. Clanker is a viral, often mocking label for artificial intelligence. Once a niche sci-fi term used to describe literal robots, clanker has been repurposed for the digital age. Today, it’s commonly used to deride AI systems, chatbots, and other nonhuman technologies, and its rise mirrors growing unease over the role of AI in society. Broligarchy (a blend of bro and oligarchy) has become one of 2025’s defining political neologisms. GEN AI, short for Generative Artificial Intelligence. This has become both a revolutionary tool and a topic of ethical debate. Doomscroll Detox has become popular in 2025 as a term describing mental health breaks from the endless cycle of negative news online.
Best or worst word of the year? Most distasteful?? I'm not going to vote for any. The only few I recognize, Tariffs and Gen AI, I won't vote for because I don't want to legitimize them. How about Apocalypse? Or Disrespect? Or Arrogant, Narcissist, Bully, Blowhard, or Greed? The words could apply to so many things and people in the news these days.
The words/phrase(s) that I have heard the most this year that are not on the list are: manufactured chaos, AI Hallucinations, cryptocreeps and po-cult. From the list of dictionary contenders I hear tariffs and GEN AI the most. I voted for GEN AI, not to endorse it, but to recognize its overwhelming rise to prominence in 2025 and the impact it will have on society going forward (successfully or catastrophically). Also, I am seeing/hearing this phrase a lot more this year: 'serfing the wave'. I assume it refers to any wave (e.g. AI being a wave). Spelled 'serfing' instead of 'surfing' seems to imply that the riders of the wave are bound to the will of an overlord or several overlords. No rights. @T-RHex Your added words - can not disagree.
And the Oxford Word of the Year 2025 is… rage bait That's fair Explaination in dictionary: https://corp.oup.com/word-of-the-year/
