The English language just got a little more skibidi.
Skibidi, delulu, tradwife and lewk are among the 6,212 new words, phrases and meanings added to the Cambridge Dictionary over the past year.
The terms have gained traction across social and mainstream media, often tied to celebrities and influencers.
According to the dictionary, “skibidi,” a slang term that can mean “cool,” “bad,” or sometimes nothing at all, was coined by the creator of the viral YouTube series “Skibidi Toilet” and is especially popular among Gen Alpha — another newly added term — or those born between 2010 and 2024.
Cambridge Dictionary website page.
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“Delulu,” a play on the word “delusional,” describes someone “believing things that are not real or true, usually because you choose to.”
“Tradwife,” which is short for “traditional wife” and was popularized by Hannah Neeleman of @ballerinafarm fame, refers to a married woman, often on social media, who embraces homemaking and child care while reflecting a controversial return to traditional gender roles on Instagram and TikTok.
Meanwhile, “lewk” is a playful twist on the word “look,” meaning a distinctive style or outfit, especially one that is bold or eye-catching.
In a statement, Colin McIntosh, lexical program manager at Cambridge Dictionary, said the rise of words like skibidi and delulu shows how internet culture is reshaping the English language in lasting ways.
“It’s not every day you get to see words like skibidi and delulu make their way into the Cambridge Dictionary,” McIntosh said. “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.”
