2025’s words of the year reflect a year of digital disillusionment
From AI slop to rage bait, to the cryptic ‘6-7,’ this year’s slate captures a growing sense that online life is flooded with fakery, frustration and meaninglessness.
Which terms best represent 2025?
Every year, editors for publications ranging from the Oxford English Dictionary to the Macquarie Dictionary of Australian English select a “word of the year.”
Sometimes these terms are thematically related, particularly in the wake of world-altering events. “Pandemic,” “lockdown” and “coronavirus,” for example, were among the words chosen in 2020. At other times, they are a potpourri of various cultural trends, as with 2022’s “goblin mode,” “permacrisis” and “gaslighting.”
This year’s slate largely centers on digital life. But rather than reflecting the unbridled optimism about the internet of the early aughts – when words like “w00t,” “blog,” “tweet” and even “face with tears of joy” emoji (
Read These Next
A culinary educator and local dining expert breaks down Michelin’s debut Philly list − and gives zer
The Michelin awards will almost certainly bring more tourism to the city, and more revenue to the honored…
Girls and boys solve math problems differently – with similar short-term results but different long-
The reasons are not yet fully understood, but researchers consider societal influences that encourage…
Buying a gift for a loved one with cancer? Here’s why you should skip the fuzzy socks and give them
Gifts that make a true connection acknowledge the ugly parts of illness and provide relief from daily…
