For many years, multiple dictionaries have published a word they feel best exemplifies the year as the Word of the Year. These words are typically announced in the last few months of the year or the first month of the next year and are relevant to a cultural phenomenon that has occurred in the last 365 days. The word(s) of the year, if announced by a dictionary that does not already include the selected definition, are typically added to the next publication or the online version of the dictionary after they are announced. Lexicographers, or the editors and creators of dictionaries, work first to generate a list of words and then to select the one they feel best represents the year in review. Words up for consideration are typically words that are used colloquially, or in informal settings, prior to being added to the list. This means that words that have been frequently viewed as jokes or unserious can be officially recognized and defined.
As there are a large number of dictionaries serving different regions of the world, there is no one true Word of the Year. Instead, each dictionary or institution selects one word that they feel signifies, or communicates the idea of, the year. Thus, there will be multiple words of the year and sometimes the dictionaries choose similar or the same words. With two of the institutions choosing the term “Slop” and one selecting the more specific “AI Slop” it is clear that the 2025 words of the year follow a similar thread.
The Words of the Year for 2025 are as follows (click the links to view definition and explanations for each selection!):
The American Dialect Society: Slop
Cambridge Dictionary: Parasocial
Collins English Dictionary: Vibe Coding
Dictionary.Com: 67
Macquarie Dictionary: AI Slop
Merriam-Webster: Slop
Oxford: Rage Bait
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