“Vibe coding,” a word that basically means using artificial intelligence (AI) to tell a machine what you want instead of coding it yourself, was named Collins Word of the Year 2025 on Thursday.
Coined by OpenAI co-founder Andrej Karpathy, the word refers to “an emerging software development that turns natural language into computer code using AI,” according to the Collins Dictionary.
“It’s programming by vibes, not variables,” Collins said.
“While tech experts debate whether it’s revolutionary or reckless, the term has resonated far beyond Silicon Valley and speaks to a broader cultural shift toward AI-assisted everything in everyday life,” it added.
Lexicographers at Collins Dictionary monitor the 24 billion-word Collins Corpus, which draws from a variety of media sources, including social media, to create the annual list of new and notable words that reflect our ever-evolving language.
The 2025 shortlist highlights a number of words that have emerged in the past year to reflect the changing world around us.
“Broligarchy” made the list during a year that saw tech billionaire Elon Musk briefly at the heart of US President Donald Trump’s administration and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos cozying up to the president.
The word is defined as a small clique of very wealthy men who exercise political influence.
‘Coolcation’
New words linked to work and technology include “clanker,” a derogatory term for a computer, robot, or source of artificial intelligence, and “HENRY,” an acronym for high earner, not rich yet.
Another is “task masking”, the act of giving the false impression of being productive in the workplace, while “micro-retirement” refers to taking a break between periods of employment to pursue personal interests.
In the field of health and behavior, “biohacking” is also gaining ground, meaning the activity of altering the natural processes of one’s body in an attempt to improve one’s health and longevity.
Also mentioned are “aura farming”, the deliberate cultivation of a distinctive and charismatic persona, and the verb “to glaze”, to praise or flatter someone excessively or undeservedly.
Although the list is dominated by words linked to technology and employment, one from the world of leisure bags has a place – “coolcation”, which means a vacation in a place with a cool climate.
Last year’s word of the year was “Brat”, the name of British singer Charli XCX’s sixth hit album, meaning a “confident, independent and hedonistic attitude” rather than simply a term for a badly behaved child.
