Pallade Veneta - 'Skibidi' and 'tradwife': social media words added to Cambridge dictionary

Cambridge University Press said tradwife, a portmanteau of traditional wife, reflected "a growing, controversial Instagram and TikTok trend that embraces traditional gender roles".

The dictionary also took on the challenge of defining skibidi, a word popularised in online memes, as a term which had "different meanings such as cool or bad, or can be used with no real meaning".

The gibberish word was spread by a YouTube channel called "Skibidi Toilet" and is associated with the mindless, "brain rot" content found on social media and consumed by Gen Alpha's overwhelmingly digital lifestyle.

The dictionary defined delulu, derived from the word delusional, as "believing things that are not real or true, usually because you choose to".

As an example, it cited a 2025 speech in parliament where Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese used the phrase "delulu with no solulu".

"It's not every day you get to see words like skibidi and delulu make their way into the Cambridge Dictionary," said Colin McIntosh, Lexical Programme manager at the Cambridge Dictionary.

"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."

Other new phrases include "lewk", used to describe a unique fashion look and popularised by RuPaul's Drag Race, and "inspo", short for inspiration.

Work from home culture has given rise to "mouse jiggler", referring to a way to pretend to work when you are not.

There is also "forever chemical", man-made chemicals that stay in the environment for years and have gained traction as concerns grow about the irreversible impact of climate change on the health of humans and the plant.

Z.Ottaviano--PV