The English language has a few new additions – and they’re straight out of internet culture. Words like ‘skibidi’, ‘delulu’ and ‘tradwife’ have officially made it into the Cambridge Dictionary,

highlighting just how much TikTok and online communities are shaping the way we speak.

For anyone who thought these words were just fleeting fads, lexicographers say otherwise. Colin McIntosh, the dictionary’s lexical programme manager, explained:

 “Internet culture is changing the English language and the effect is fascinating to observe and capture. We only add words when we think they’re here to stay.”

What do the new words mean?

‘Skibidi’: Often used by kids to emphasize a point, or sometimes just as a random filler word. It shot to fame with ‘Skibidi Toilet’, a viral YouTube series featuring bizarre animated toilets with human heads. The dictionary defines it as a word that can mean “cool” or “bad,” or simply nothing at all — for example, “What the skibidi are you doing?”

Not everyone is a fan, though. Writer Lee Escobedo recently called ‘skibidi brainrot’ a reflection of “a generation fluent in irony but starved for meaning.”

‘Tradwife’: Short for “traditional wife,” this one refers to women — often influencers — who promote a return to old-fashioned gender roles, focusing on homemaking and caring for their husbands. The term has been around since at least 2020 and often sparks heated debates online.

‘Delulu’: A playful shortening of “delusional.” Originally used in K-pop fandoms to poke fun at fans who dreamed of dating their idols, it’s now widely used to describe wishful, unrealistic thinking. TikTok even gave us the phrase “delulu is the solulu”, meaning sometimes a little delusion helps you believe in your dreams. The term has become so mainstream that even Australia’s prime minister used it in parliament earlier this year to insult his rivals.

Other new entries

Cambridge also added a few other terms born from modern life:

‘Broligarchy’: A mash-up of “bro” and “oligarchy,” referring to ultra-wealthy, powerful men in the tech world who hold major influence.

‘Mouse jiggler’: A device or software people use to make their computer look “active” during remote work — basically, to fake being online.

‘Work spouse’: A close coworker relationship where two people trust and support each other at the office. Photo by Andrew Dunn, Wikimedia commons.