The 2025 Collins Dictionary Word of the Year list has been unveiled, and it reads less like a reflection of general culture and more like a dispatch from Silicon Valley. The list is overwhelmingly dominated by terms born from technological advancement and the culture surrounding it, with “vibe coding” taking the top spot, and “broligarchy” and “clanker” featuring prominently.
The winner, “vibe coding,” is defined as the use of artificial intelligence to translate natural language prompts into computer code. Its selection follows a massive surge in usage since February, when it was coined by OpenAI engineer Andrej Karpathy. It represents a paradigm shift where programming becomes an act of description rather than technical writing, making development accessible to a wider audience.
However, the list also captures the sharp backlash to tech’s dominance. “Clanker,” an insult for AI and robots from Star Wars, became a viral shorthand for frustration with automated systems. Furthermore, the inclusion of “broligarchy” points a finger directly at the industry’s leaders. This term, used to describe the elite, powerful “tech bros,” highlights public scrutiny of their immense wealth and influence.
Alex Beecroft, managing director of Collins, acknowledged the tech trend, stating the selection of “vibe coding” captures how “language is evolving alongside technology.” He framed it as a “seamless integration of human creativity and machine intelligence” that is “fundamentally changing our interaction with computers.”
The non-tech words on the list still reflect a distinctly modern, high-stress world. “Biohacking” (altering one’s body for health), “Henry” (high earner, not rich yet), “taskmasking” (faking productivity), and “micro-retirement” (a career sabbatical) all speak to contemporary anxieties and aspirations regarding health, wealth, and the daily grind.