The lexicographers at Collins Dictionary monitor the 24-billion-word Collins Corpus, which draws from a range of media sources to create the annual list of new and notable words that “reflect our ever-evolving language and the preoccupations of those who use it”.
For 2025, Collins Dictionary has chosen as their Word of the Year – which is technically two words – the term “vibe coding”, which is the art of turning language into computer code using artificial intelligence.
Coined by Andrej Karpathy, former AI director at Tesla and founding engineer at OpenAI, the term describes how someone can use AI to create a new app while forgetting “that the code even exists” – a practice which has allowed non-coders to create digital platforms.
Collins Dictionary defines it as “the use of artificial intelligence prompted by a natural language to assist with the writing of computer code”, and noted a large uptick in the usage of “vibe coding” since its first appearance in February 2025.
“The selection of ‘vibe coding’ as Collins’ Word of the Year perfectly captures how language is evolving alongside technology,” said Collins MD Alex Beecroft. “It signals a major shift in software development, where AI is making coding more accessible.”
He added: “The seamless integration of human creativity and machine intelligence demonstrates how natural language is fundamentally changing our interaction with computers.”
“Vibe coding” follows on from last year’s “brat”, which was popularised by British singer Charli XCX. It was one of 10 words on a shortlist to reflect the mood, language and preoccupations of 2025.
Here are the ones that nearly made it – many of which also appeared in Dictionary.com’s shortlist for their Word of the Year:
- Aura farming: the deliberate cultivation of a distinctive and charismatic persona
- Biohacking: the activity of altering the natural processes of one’s body in an attempt to improve one’s health and longevity
- Broligarchy: a small clique of very wealthy men who exert political influence
- Clanker: a derogatory term of a computer, robot, or source of artificial intelligence (a word popularised by Star Wars: The Clone Wars)
- Coolcation: a holiday in a place with a cool climate
- Glaze: to praise or flatter someone excessively or undeservedly
- HENRY: acronym for “high earner, not rich yet”, or a person who has not accrued substantial wealth from their high income
- Micro-retirement: a break taken between periods of employment in order to pursue personal interests
- Taskmasking: the act of giving a false impression that one is being productive in the workplace
And in case you wanted a trip down memory lane, here are Collins Dictionary’s Words of the Year for the last five years:
- 2020: Lockdown: chosen in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic – “the imposition of stringent restrictions on travel, social interaction, and access to public spaces”
- 2021: NFT: non-fungible token – a unique digital identifier that is recorded on a blockchain, used to certify ownership and authenticity
- 2022: Permacrisis: “an extended period of instability and insecurity”
- 2023: AI: the abbreviation of artificial intelligence
- 2024: Brat: popularised by British singer Charli XCX – a lifestyle “characterised by a confident, independent, and hedonistic attitude”.
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