Skibidi and tradwife: Cambridge dictionary embraces new social media buzz words

Cambridge Dictionary Embraces Gen Z and Gen Alpha Buzzwords

The latest online edition of the Cambridge Dictionary added roughly 6,000 fresh entries in the past year, including slang that has taken over TikTok, Instagram and meme culture.

Key New Terms

• tradwife – a blend of “traditional wife” that captures a controversial trend toward conventional gender roles.
• skibidi – a playful term that can mean “cool,” “bad,” or nothing at all, popularized by the YouTube channel “Skibidi Toilet.”
• delulu – shorthand for “delusional,” used to describe believing something that isn’t real, often by choice.
• lewk – a word to describe a distinctive fashion sense, popularized on RuPaul’s Drag Race.
• inspo – a short form of “inspiration,” commonly used in social media posts.
• mouse jiggler – a phrase describing a tactic of pretending to work from home culture.
• forever chemical – man‑made substances that remain in the environment for years, reflecting growing concerns about the lasting impact of climate change.

Dictionary Highlights

Cambridge University Press noted that the addition of “tradwife” reflects a growing, controversial Instagram and TikTok trend that embraces traditional gender roles. The dictionary also tackled the challenge of defining “skibidi,” saying it can mean “cool,” “bad,” or nothing at all.

Speech Example

The entry for “delulu” cites a 2025 speech in parliament where Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese used the phrase “delulu with no solulu.”

Lexical Programme Insight

Colin McIntosh, Lexical Programme manager, said, “It’s not every day you 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. Internet culture is changing the English language and the effect is fascinating to observe and capture in the Dictionary.”