Collins Dictionary has announced its 2025 Word of the Year, and it’s “vibe coding,” a term that sits at the intersection of artificial intelligence, software development, and natural language. Its selection highlights a year where technological advancements have dominated public conversation and, consequently, our vocabulary.
Defined as an emerging software development practice that uses AI to turn natural language into computer code, “vibe coding” represents a paradigm shift. Coined by AI expert Andrej Karpathy, it envisions a future where coding is as easy as describing an idea, making it accessible to a much broader audience.
The rest of the list confirms this technological focus. “Clanker,” a derogatory term for AI and robots, was a strong runner-up, illustrating the other side of the AI coin: public fear and distrust. The list also features “biohacking,” the tech-assisted alteration of one’s body, and “broligarchy,” a term for the tech elite.
These words were selected by lexicographers who monitor the 24-billion-word Collins Corpus, which tracks language from media and social media. The data showed a massive spike in usage for “vibe coding” since February, justifying its top position.
Alex Beecroft of Collins noted that the choice reflects how “language is evolving alongside technology.” The 2025 list demonstrates that our interaction with computers, our health, and even our power structures are all being filtered through a lens of technological change.