Skibidi, tradwife and delulu: Gen Z slang added to Cambridge Dictionary for first time

Widely considered the world’s most popular online dictionary for learners of English, the array of words selected are deemed to have grown in use across social and mainstream media and beyond in the past 12 months.

Many are also linked to celebrities and influencers such as Kim Kardashian (skibidi), Hannah Neeleman of @ballerinafarm (tradwife) and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (“delulu with no solulu”).

Slang term skibidi, which has different meanings such as cool or bad, or 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.

Phrases like ‘What the skibidi are you doing?’ and ‘That wasn’t very skibidi rizz of you’ have entered mainstream usage.

In October last year, Kim Kardashian posted a video on social media showing a necklace her daughter had given her as a birthday present, engraved with the phrase ‘Skibidi Toilet’.

The word is popular among gen alpha, another new Dictionary addition, referring to people born in the 2010s.

Other words added to the dictionary 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 a speech in parliament.

Lewk:

• A play on the word look, meaning a particular style, fashion, or outfit, especially one that is unusual and impressive.

Used in fashion journalism, ‘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 Ballerina Farm 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 at the inauguration of President Trump in January 2025.

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.

Colin McIntosh, Lexical Programme Manager, Cambridge Dictionary, said: “It’s not every day you get to see words like skibidi and delulu make their way into the Cambridge Dictionary. 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.”

More new words in the Cambridge Dictionary include those deemed to be tech and digital references.

Snackable:

• Used to describe content that you can read or play in small amounts or for a short time, reflects our ever-shrinking attention spans.

Remote work culture has introduced terms like mouse jiggler, a device or piece of software used to make it seem as though you are working when you are not.

New entries like work wife and work spouse acknowledge workplace relationships where two people help and trust each other.

Two updated entries, red flag ‘a sign that something bad is happening or could happen’ and green flag, ‘a sign that something is good or is likely to succeed’, are popular terms on social media often used to describe negative and positive traits in a partner.

Another new entry, forever chemical, refers to ‘artificial chemicals that are used to make many different products, that stay in the environment for a long time and are harmful to the health of people and animals’.

RAAC, an abbreviation for Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete, has entered the Dictionary following widespread safety concerns in UK public buildings. It is ‘a type of reinforced concrete that has empty spaces inside and is often used to make flat roofs and on floors and walls’.