The update also acknowledges work-from-home culture, reflecting rapid changes in English language use.
Cambridge Dictionary has made headlines after announcing the addition of 6,000 new words, including quirky Gen Z and Gen Alpha slang such as “skibidi,” “tradwife,” and “delulu.” Social media users have responded quickly, with some expressing laughter and others expressing open astonishment, despite the dictionary's insistence that these additions represent changing internet culture.
Among the most talked-about words, “skibidi” stands out as a nonsensical term that originated from a viral animated YouTube series. “Tradwife”—short for “traditional wife”—is a TikTok-driven label for married women sharing homemaking content online. Meanwhile, “delulu” has become shorthand across social media for “delusional.”
Colin McIntosh, lexical program manager at Cambridge Dictionary, defended the updates in a statement to the New York Post:
“Internet culture is changing the English language and the effect is fascinating to observe and capture in the dictionary. 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.”
Unsurprisingly, the news has divided opinion online. Some people were shocked to see what they refer to as "gibberish" included. A comment was made by an X user, “Congratulations, English is no longer a language, it’s a TikTok comment section.”
Another user added, “I’m usually fine with language evolving and changing and the dictionary keeping up, but do not add the gibberish word Skibidi to the dictionary.”
These responses show how platforms like TikTok are influencing modern language and illustrate the conflict between traditionalists and digital natives.
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The update isn’t just about internet memes and TikTok trends. Cambridge Dictionary has also added post-pandemic workplace jargon. Terms like “mouse jiggler”, a device or software that fakes activity to appear busy online, and “work wife” or “work spouse”, phrases describing workplace relationships, are now officially recognized.
Experts note that dictionaries have always evolved alongside society, but the pace of change has accelerated due to digital culture. These modifications demonstrate how language is still being influenced in real time by social media, distant employment, and online contact.
The Cambridge Dictionary update sparks a larger conversation about the future of English. Are sites like TikTok taking over as language arbiters? Despite purists' derision, lexicographers argue that documenting evolving usage is crucial to documenting contemporary communication.
