Cambridge Dictionary adds 'skibidi' and 'tradwife' among 6,000 new words
'Skibidi' is one of the slang terms popularized by social media that are among more than 6,000 additions this year to the Cambridge Dictionary.
'Internet culture is changing the English language and the effect is fascinating to observe and capture in the dictionary,' said Colin McIntosh, lexical program manager at Cambridge Dictionary, the world's largest online dictionary.
'Skibidi' is a gibberish term coined by the creator of an animated YouTube series and can mean 'cool' or 'bad' or be used with no real meaning as a joke.
Other planned additions including 'tradwife,' a contraction of 'traditional wife' referring to a married mother who cooks, cleans and posts on social media, and 'delulu,' a shortening of the word delusional that means 'believing things that are not real or true, usually because you choose to.'
An increase in remote working since the pandemic has created the new dictionary entry 'mouse jiggler,' a device or piece of software used to make it seem like you are working when you are not.
Concerns over climate change are behind the addition of 'forever chemical,' a harmful chemical that remains in the environment for a long time.
Cambridge Dictionary uses the Cambridge English Corpus, a database of more than 2 billion words of written and spoken English, to monitor how new words are used by different people, how often and in what contexts they are used, the company said.
'We only add words where we think they'll have staying power,' McIntosh said.
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'Skibidi,' 'delulu' and 'tradwife' among new words added to Cambridge Dictionary
The terms have surged in use across social media, mainstream media and beyond. By 0:35 Adobe Stock The English language just got a little more skibidi. Skibidi, delulu, tradwife and lewk are among the 6,212 new words, phrases and meanings added to the Cambridge Dictionary over the past year. The terms have gained traction across social and mainstream media, often tied to celebrities and influencers. According to the dictionary, "skibidi," a slang term that can mean "cool," "bad," or sometimes nothing at all, was coined by the creator of the viral YouTube series "Skibidi Toilet" and is especially popular among Gen Alpha -- another newly added term -- or those born between 2010 and 2024. "Delulu," a play on the word "delusional," describes someone "believing things that are not real or true, usually because you choose to." "Tradwife," which is short for "traditional wife" and was popularized by Hannah Neeleman of @ballerinafarm fame, refers to a married woman, often on social media, who embraces homemaking and child care while reflecting a controversial return to traditional gender roles on Instagram and TikTok. Meanwhile, "lewk" is a playful twist on the word "look," meaning a distinctive style or outfit, especially one that is bold or eye-catching. In a statement, Colin McIntosh, lexical program manager at Cambridge Dictionary, said the rise of words like skibidi and delulu shows how internet culture is reshaping the English language in lasting ways. "It's not every day you get to see words like skibidi and delulu make their way into the Cambridge Dictionary," McIntosh said. "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."
Chicago Tribune
33 minutes ago
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Cambridge Dictionary adds ‘skibidi' and ‘tradwife' among 6,000 new words
LONDON — What the skibidi is happening to the English language? 'Skibidi,' pronounced SKIH-bih-dee, is one of the slang terms popularized by social media that are among more than 6,000 additions this year to the Cambridge Dictionary. 'Internet culture is changing the English language and the effect is fascinating to observe and capture in the dictionary,' said Colin McIntosh, lexical program manager at Cambridge Dictionary, the world's largest online dictionary. 'Skibidi' is a gibberish term coined by the creator of an animated YouTube series and can mean 'cool' or 'bad' or be used with no real meaning as a joke. Other planned additions include 'tradwife,' a contraction of 'traditional wife' referring to a married mother who cooks, cleans and posts on social media, and 'delulu,' a shortening of the word delusional that means 'believing things that are not real or true, usually because you choose to.' Christian Ilbury, senior lecturer in sociolinguistics at the University of Edinburgh, said many of the new words are tied to social media platforms like TikTok because that is how most young people communicate. However, Ilbury said some of the words, including 'delulu,' have longer histories than people might think and have been used by speech communities for years. 'It's really just the increase in visibility and potential uptake amongst communities who may not have engaged with those words before,' he explained. An increase in remote working since the pandemic has created the new dictionary entry 'mouse jiggler,' a device or piece of software used to make it seem like you are working when you are not. Environmental concerns are behind the addition of 'forever chemical,' a harmful substance that remains in the environment for a long time. Cambridge Dictionary uses the Cambridge English Corpus, a database of more than 2 billion words of written and spoken English, to monitor how new words are used by different people, how often and in what contexts they are used, the company said. 'If you look at what a dictionary's function is, it's a public record of how people use language and so if people are now using words like 'skibidi' or 'delulu,' then the dictionary should take account of that,' Ilbury said. McIntosh added the dictionary has only added words it thinks have 'staying power.'
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