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Gen Z & Gen Alpha ‘Brainrot' Terms Have Officially Been Added to the Cambridge Dictionary — & We Have So Many Questions
Language is ever evolving, and that's never been more evident than when listening to Gen Z and Gen Alpha talk. They say the most random, out-of-pocket things that have gone viral on the internet from songs, resurfaced phrases from TV and movies, and more places that we can only begin to guess the origins of. It's hard to keep up! Still, rather than write these off as teen slang (or 'brainrot,' as people call the more nonsensical words), Cambridge Dictionary is leaning into the narrative. The prestigious publication revealed that it has added over 6,200 new words to its lexicon, including some of the most popular thing kids are saying right now, and we have so many questions about this move.
Boasting as 'one of the fastest-growing dictionaries in the world,' Cambridge has added definitions for words like skibidi, delulu, tradwife, broligarchy, and more. Yes, these are now considered actual words.
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'It's not every day you get to see words like skibidi and delulu make their way into the Cambridge Dictionary,' Colin McIntosh, Lexical Programme Manager at Cambridge Dictionary, said in a statement. '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.'
We are so confused by this move. If the words are in the dictionary, does that mean students can include things like 'delulu' in their official school essays? And how did the researchers determine that these particular terms have staying power as opposed to other words like 'gurt'?
And the most important question of all: will kids come up with a whole new slew of phrases once they realize adults finally know the definitions of their popular slang? (How can anyone keep up, ever?)
People had big reactions to the words being added to the dictionary on X. 'Humanity is f**king doomed,' one person wrote, per Daily Dot. 'It's time to revoke internet privileges,' someone else Tweeted.
Still, as a parent of two Gen Alpha kids, I'm thankful for these definitions ¾ because my kids certainly can't (or won't) explain them to me. After all, a June study found that only 68 percent of parents understand what Gen Alpha is saying (which is the same or higher than what AI models could understand).
Keep reading for some of the slang terms added to Cambridge Dictionary and their definitions.
Skibidi (adjective): 'a word that can have different meanings such as 'cool' or 'bad,' or can be used with no real meaning as a joke.'
Delulu (adjective): 'believing things that are not real or true, usually because you choose to.'
Lewk (noun): 'a particular style, fashion, or outfit especially one that is unusual and impressive.'
Broligarchy (noun): '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.'
Tradwife (noun): '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.'
Inspo (noun): 'something, especially something posted on the internet, that gives you ideas for doing something or that makes you want to do something.'
Slop (noun): 'content on the internet that is of very low quality, especially when it is created by artificial intelligence.'
Rizz (noun): 'the ability to attract people's attention and make them like you, often in a romantic or sexual way.'
Search for more popular words in the Cambridge Dictionary HERE. And if you can't find it, look in our 2025 Teen Slang of SheKnows
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