The TikTok words your kids use are now in the Cambridge Dictionary - full list including 'Skibidi'

• Cambridge Dictionary has added new words for 2025.
• The terms include ones popularised online and on TikTok.
• You can finally understand what ‘Skibidi’ means!

‘Skibidi’, ‘delulu’ and ‘tradwife’ are among the new words that have been added to the Cambridge Dictionary this year. It is further proof of the way social media and the internet is shaping the way we speak.

The English language is not fixed and is instead ever evolving, with new words being coined and others falling out of popularity every year. TikTok in particular is having a huge impact on our collective vocabulary and you might be finding it hard to keep up.

If your kids have started to use phrases like ‘broligarchy’ or have been talking about ‘skibid’, it might have left you scratching your head in confusion. Fortunately, now they’ve been added to the dictionary there are actual definitions so you can keep up.

Which words have been added to Cambridge Dictionary?

For those of us who grew up in Britain or another English speaking country, you might feel like you’ve got the language down. However, it is constantly being reshaped with each passing year and the internet in particular is having a massive impact on our lexicon.

The Guardian reports that lexical programme manager Colin McIntosh said: "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.”

Skibidi

It is defined as: “a word that can have different meanings such as "cool" or "bad", or can be used with no real meaning as a joke”

Delulu

A modern shortening of the word delusional, this is another word that has found popularity online. It is defined as: “believing things that are not real or true, usually because you choose to.”

Tradwife

Combining traditional and wife into a single word, this combined word you may have seen on apps like TikTok. It is defined as: “a married woman, especially one who posts on social media, who stays at home doing cooking, cleaning, etc. and has children that she takes care of. Tradwife is short for traditional wife.”

Mouse jiggler

Our lives have changed dramatically since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic half a decade ago. Not least of all with the rise of home working and it is having an impact on our language with the term mouse jiggler now being added to the Cambridge dictionary.

It is defined as: “a device or piece of software used to make it seem as though a computer mouse is moving so that it seems as though you are working when you are not.”

Broligarchy

Billionaires and tech giants have such a huge impact on our lives and it feels like we’ve all become increasingly aware of them. From Elon Musk to Sam Altman. This increased awareness has led to the rise of the term broligarchy.

It is defined as: “a small group of men, especially men owning or involved in a technology business, who are extremely rich and powerful, and who have or want political influence. The word is a mixture of bro and oligarchy.”

Work Spouse

Our jobs and work take up such a huge part of our lives, that it should be no surprise that it influences the way we speak. Especially as Gen Z continues to enter the workforce.

One of the work-related terms that you may have started to hear is: Work Spouse. It is defined as: “a person with whom someone has a close, but not romantic, relationship at work, in which the two people help and trust each other in the same way that a married couple does.”

Learn more about what Skibidi Toilet is in our deep dive on it and why it is popular with Gen Alpha. Have you heard your kids use any of the terms added to the dictionary - or have you used them yourself? Let me know by email: [email protected].