India, Dec. 18 -- Dictionaries' 2025 words of the year are dominated by terms shaped by artificial intelligence and online culture

From "vibe coding" to "AI slop", the chosen words reflect anxieties about authenticity, quality and automation

Linguists say these selections offer a revealing snapshot of the English-speaking world's obsessions and fears

For us linguists, the flurry of "word of the year" announcements from dictionaries and publishers is a holiday tradition as anticipated as mince pies. The words of the year aren't just a fun peek into new slang and language changes, they also tell us quite a bit about the worries, trends and obsessions of the English-speaking world.

And this year's list has one clear theme. In 2025, artif...