Over the past few years, social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram have introduced new slang words with humorous meanings. These memes have elevated social media culture and have captivated much of Gen-Z, becoming a part of their daily vocabulary. However, these words are slowly making their way out of just social media, and terms like “skibidi” or “delulu” have made their way into the official Cambridge Dictionary. 

Dictionary Definition

Before understanding why Cambridge decided to add these seemingly unnecessary words to the dictionary, it’s essential to understand what a dictionary truly is. Simply, dictionaries are big books (or websites) that keep track of all real words in a language. Words get added to the dictionary depending on how often people use them. Dictionaries check for a couple of things: The popularity of the word, if the word is well-understood, and how long it has stuck around. If a particular word is just a quick trend, it probably won’t make it into the dictionary. However, if people keep using it more and more, it’ll become an official addition. 

New Additions

This year, Cambridge University decided to add 6,000 new words, but what caught the public's attention was the addition of many “brainrot” terms. A few of the latest additions include “Skibidi”, a silly, viral word from a meme and a song that kids love. Additionally, Cambridge added "Tradwife," a term the internet has coined for women on social media who show their daily lives, including their everyday tasks like cooking and cleaning. 

Alongside skibidi and tradwife, many other words made it into Cambridge’s 2025 update. For example, the word “lewk”, a different way to spell look, has been added. However, the words they said weren’t all new “TikTok terms”; they also added words like “inspo”, a short form of the word “inspiration”, mainly existing because of how easy it is to use in texting. 

Apart from just single words, Cambridge also added internet phrases like “green flag” and “red flag”, recognized for their modern meanings. Kids and adults both use these phrases online and in real life to describe relationships, friendships, and even everyday situations, so it makes sense that they made the cut. 

Impact

So, why does this matter? Well, many linguists have come to the conclusion that this proves that language is alive. It changes and grows depending on how people use it. A century ago, people would have had no clue what words like “emoji” or “brainrot” are, but now they’re so common that people of all ages use them daily. By adding new words, well-established dictionaries like Cambridge are keeping track of how our culture evolves. 

AP News reports that Christian Illbury, a senior lecturer in sociolinguistics at the University of Edinburgh, offered an interesting perspective on the topic. He explained that, “It’s really just the increase in visibility and potential uptake amongst communities who may not have engaged with those words before… 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.” In simple words, he’s saying that dictionaries are a mirror of how people actually speak, and they should capture the creativity and constant change in the way we use words. 

All in all, these additions show that the English language is constantly evolving, and TikTok slang has a significant influence on everyday language. What word do you think should be added to the dictionary next?