The Cambridge Dictionary has added numerous words and terms popularized by Gen-Z memes and internet culture to its list of recognized words.
So far in 2025, over 6,000 words have been added to the compendium and, while many are unremarkable, a portion have been sourced directly from internet culture, specifically social media sites used primarily by younger generations, including Instagram and TikTok.
The most notable words added include terms like skibidi, broligarchy, inspo, and delulu. While some of these, in the case of the latter two, are shorthand for existing words – inspiration and delusional – others have definitions that aren’t immediately obvious.
The most notable new entries and their definitions, as described by Cambridge Dictionary:
| Word | Definition |
|---|---|
| Skibidi | A word that can have different meanings such as cool or bad, or can be used with no real meaning as a joke. |
| Delulu | Believing things that are not real or true, usually because you choose to. |
| Tradwife | 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. Tradwife is short for traditional wife |
| Mouse jiggler | A device or piece of software used to make it seem as though a computer mouse is moving so that it seems as though you are working when you are not. |
| Inspo | Short for inspiration: something, especially something posted on the internet, that gives you ideas for doing something or that makes you want to do something. |
| Broligarchy | 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 word is a mixture of bro and oligarchy. |
YouTube: DaFuqBoomCambridge vs. Oxford English Dictionary
The Cambridge Dictionary adds new words to its database based on their consistent use in everyday life, including social media. It relies on the Cambridge English Corpus, a huge database of over two billion words, to decide which terms to add.
Conversely, the Oxford English Dictionary adopts a slower, historical approach. Words usually need a longer track record in literature or formal writing before being added, which means slang and internet-born terms often appear there much later than in Cambridge.
That being the case, there’s every chance all of the words above will eventually make their way into the Oxford alternative, but for now, they have yet to be recognized.