Some of the most popular TikTok slang words, including “skibidi”, “tradwife” and “delulu”, have officially been added to the Cambridge Dictionary, showing how internet culture is shaping the English language.
Colin McIntosh, lexical programme manager at the dictionary, explained why the new words were chosen. “Internet culture is changing the English language and the effect is fascinating to observe and capture in the dictionary,” he said. “It’s not every day you get to 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.”
The term “skibidi” became popular through the strange YouTube series Skibidi Toilet, which shows human heads coming out of toilets. The dictionary defines it as a word that can mean “cool” or “bad”, or can simply be used as a joke with no meaning. An example given is: “What the skibidi are you doing?” While children and Generation Alpha love the word, many older people see it as annoying.
Earlier this year, US writer and artist Lee Escobedo described the trend in the Guardian, saying: “Skibidi brainrot encapsulates a generation fluent in irony but starved for meaning. This kind of hyper-chaotic media serves as both entertainment and an ambient worldview for young men raised online. Their minds normalise prank-as-expression.”
Another addition, “tradwife”, is used to describe socially conservative women who promote homemaking and submission in marriage, often through TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. The dictionary defines it as “especially one who posts on social media”. The term, which became popular around 2020, has faced criticism for pushing traditional gender roles.
The slang “delulu”, short for “delusional”, is defined as “believing things that are not real or true, usually because you choose to”. It first appeared more than ten years ago as an insult against obsessive K-pop fans, but has since been embraced online. The phrase “delulu is the solulu” is now a motivational mantra on TikTok, gaining billions of views. Even politicians are using it. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese recently said “delulu with no solulu” in parliament to mock his rivals.
Other new entries include “broligarchy”, meaning a small group of rich and powerful men in tech who want political influence, “mouse jiggler”, a device or software used to trick computers into appearing active during remote work, and “work spouse”, describing a close and supportive workplace friendship between colleagues.
