Cambridge Dictionary adds over 6,000 new words including "skibidi" and "delulu"

Over 6,000 new words have been added to the Cambridge Dictionary this year, including internet slang like "skibidi," "tradwife" and "delulu."

"Internet culture is changing the English language and the effect is fascinating to observe and capture in the dictionary," said Colin McIntosh, the Dictionary's lexical programme manager.

"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."

Many new additions originate from social media virality, such as gibberish term "skibidi" which was coined in a popular animated video series on YouTube.

The Cambridge Dictionary defined it as "a word that can have different meanings such as 'cool' or 'bad', or can be used with no real meaning as a joke." Example sentences are "What the skibidi are you doing?" and "That wasn’t very skibidi rizz of you."

Harvard linguist Adam Aleksic is a leading voice on social media's linguistic influence. In his TED Talk "How social media is changing how you talk," Aleksic said words like "skibidi" become popular after featuring in viral videos "because social-media algorithms reward repetition."

"If a song is funny or catchy, and people interact with it, the algorithm will then push that song to more people, since it's proven to drive engagement on the app," said Aleksic, adding that "the same is true of memes, or words in general."

"We saw an explosion of people making videos with the words 'rizz,' 'gyat' and 'skibidi' because they knew those videos would do well. And as a result, the words spread."

"Delulu," an abbreviation of "delusional," emerged from K-pop fan culture, having been used as an insult towards K-pop fans who believe they would date their favourite celebrities. It is defined as "believing things that are not real or true, usually because you choose to."

"You're at a concert right at the back and you think an idol made eye contact with you... people may call you delulu," reads one example sentence.

The term has risen in popularity within the phrase "delulu is the solulu" ("delusion is the solution") and is associated with those who put their personal beliefs before reality. Earlier this year, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese used the term against his opponents in parliament, who he said were "delulu with no solulu."

Anthony Albanese labels the Opposition as 'delulu' as fierce debate erupts over the governments fourth federal budget. #auspol #auselection #election2025 #albanes #dutton #labor #liberal #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/jEfAfFWQk3

— 7NEWS Australia (@7NewsAustralia) March 26, 2025

"Tradwife" is a shortening of "traditional wife." It is defined as a married woman with children who stays at home cooking and cleaning, "especially one who posts on social media."

The virality of "tradwife" content on social media has been subject to criticism, as it tends to refer to conservative influencers who promote patriarchy, traditional gender roles and values associated with the right wing.

Particularly on TikTok, many self-proclaimed "tradwife" creators make content encouraging women to abandon the workforce and submit to their husbands.

Another new addition is "broligarchy," a combination of "bro and oligarchy," which refers to a small group of rich and powerful men in the technology industry who seek political influence.

It has frequently been used to describe tech billionaires Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg, who attended U.S. President Donald Trump's inauguration.