What the skibidi?

Is Cambridge delulu? - 15th September 2025

The Cambridge Dictionary's incorporated 6,000 new expressions into their most recent update, a significant number of which have found their way into the language via social media and popular culture.

According to lexical programme manager of the dictionary Colin McIntosh, "Internet culture is changing English language, and the effect is fascinating to observe and capture in the dictionary."

A top pick of the current jargon which has made the cut is 'skibidi'. Despite meaning 'cool' or 'bad', the versatility of the term also means "it can be used with no real meaning, as a joke." In "What the skibidi are you doing?" it's therefore completely void of meaning.

Coined from Skibidi Toilet, a YouTube animation in which heads suddenly materialise in a toilet bowl, hollow words such as skibidi don't sit well with some, like US writer and artist Lee Escobeda. Writing in the Guardian newspaper, he stated "Skibidi brainrot encapsulates a generation fluent in irony but starved for meaning."

Whether a term will have longevity also forms part of the team's deliberations as McIntosh explains: "We only add words where we think they'll have staying power." In common usage since 2020, 'tradwife' denotes a socially-conservative, traditional wife influencer, and may have negative connotations in some quarters. The dictionary defines tradwife as "a married woman, especially one who posts on social media, who stays at home doing cleaning and has children that she takes care of."

Another shortened phrase or word that's taken on a life of its own and been deemed worthy of inclusion is 'delulu'. Abbreviated from delusional, Cambridge interprets it as "believing things that are not real or true, usually because you choose to". The term originates from a decade-old insult to describe an infatuated K-pop fan who thought stepping out with their idol would be a distinct possibility.

It's spawned an associated mindset, "Delulu is the solulu," that fantasy and blind optimism will achieve your dreams despite the odds being stacked against you. It's now one of TikTok's most searched phrases, having clocked up billions of searches.

So, do you consider these digital-driven additions a 'red flag' or 'green flag' for language?