The Cambridge Dictionary has embraced the language of today’s youth, adding over 6,000 new words and expressions to its online edition—including viral slang like “skibidi,” “delulu,” and “tradwife.”
Publishers said tradwife, short for “traditional wife,” highlights a growing but controversial trend on TikTok and Instagram that promotes traditional gender roles. Meanwhile, skibidi—made famous by the YouTube series Skibidi Toilet and countless memes—was defined as a flexible term that can mean “cool,” “bad,” or sometimes nothing at all, reflecting the nonsensical humor consumed heavily by Gen Alpha online.
The slang delulu, derived from “delusional,” has also earned a spot. The dictionary notes it is often used to describe believing in something untrue, by choice. Its cultural reach was underlined when Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese used the phrase “delulu with no solulu” in parliament this year.
“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 Program Manager. “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 in the Dictionary.”
Other fresh entries include lewk (a striking fashion look popularized by RuPaul’s Drag Race), inspo (short for inspiration), and mouse jiggler (a device used to feign activity when working from home). Environmental concerns have also shaped vocabulary with the addition of forever chemical, referring to human-made substances that remain in the environment for decades.
