Skibidi, delulu, tradwife, and broligarchy are among the more than 6000 new English words, phrases and meanings that have been added to the Cambridge Dictionary, the world’s most popular online dictionary for learners of English, in the last 12 months.
The words have been picked up from TikTok or YouTube and grown in use across social and mainstream media, linked to celebrities and influencers, as well as Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, whose famous quote is “delulu with no solulu.”
Skibidi, for which there are many meanings, including cool or bad, or which can be used with no real meaning as a joke, was coined by the creator of a viral animated video series Skibidi Toilet on YouTube.
The word is popular among gen alpha, another new Dictionary addition, referring to people born in the 2010s.
“English is indeed expanding all the time. It lends itself to creativity more readily than many other languages: it’s easy to shorten words (“bro” for “brother”) and then create blends (like broligarchy, from bro + oligarchy). Terms also become obsolete, but it’s not like the pre-digital days when lexicographers had to make choices: if you add a new word, you have to make space for it in the book by taking something out,” explains Wendalyn Nichols, publishing manager Cambridge English.
New words include:
delulu: a play on the word delusional, means ‘believing things that are not real or true, usually because you choose to’. In March 2025, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese used the Gen-Z phrase “delulu with no solulu” in parliament.
lewk: a play on the word look, meaning a particular style, fashion, or outfit, especially one that is unusual and impressive. ‘Lewk’ was also made popular by the reality television show RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Tradwife: short for traditional wife – ‘a married woman, especially one who posts on social media, who stays at home doing cooking, cleaning, etc. and has children that she takes care of’ – reflects a growing, controversial Instagram and TikTok trend that embraces traditional gender roles. Hannah Neeleman of @BallerinaFarm has been dubbed the queen of tradwifery. Actress Millie Bobby Brown was recently labelled a ‘tradwife’ by social media followers due to her early marriage and a lifestyle that includes living on a farm, keeping chickens and cooking every night.
Broligarchy: a blend of bro and oligarchy, means “a small group of men, especially men owning or involved in a technology business, who are extremely rich and powerful, and who have or want political influence.” The term was used to describe a lineup of powerful tech leaders including Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Mark Zuckerberg.
inspo: short for inspiration – is something, especially something posted on the internet, that gives you ideas for doing something or that makes you want to do something. The term has been used for fitness tips, including by Alaya F, who recommended doing a headstand on a paddleboard in the middle of a river.
The 6,212 new words, phrases and meanings, alongside a regular programme of revisions and an expanding range of bilingual dictionaries, make the Cambridge Dictionary one of the fastest-growing dictionaries in the world.
“The number of new words, new and updated meanings, and new phrases we add each year can vary. Minimally we add about 2,000, but this year it was over 6,000. It’s important to note that it’s not all newly coined words; many are new or expanded senses of existing words (such as the use of red flag in the context of dating relationships). This doesn’t indicate that English is expanding more rapidly than it did last year, but rather an editorial choice: in addition to our usual tracking of new words, we focused on giving thousands of phrases their own entries to help learners of English find the “chunks” of language that they often try to look up, but that search engines don’t handle well and that traditional dictionaries don’t cover,” Wendalyn Nichols added.
Check out cambridge.org