If you needed proof that TikTok slang is taking over, the Cambridge Dictionary has it - adding three overly popular (and arguably totally unnecessary) words to its 2025 update.
You’ll now see “delulu”, “skibidi” and “tradwife” in the latest edition, thanks to the teams at Cambridge Dictionary’s belief that these terms have legit staying power.
“Internet culture is changing the English language and the effect is fascinating to observe and capture in the dictionary,” lexical programme manager Colin McIntosh told Guardian.
“We only add words where we think they’ll have staying power.”
Delulu is short for delusional - defined as “believing things that are not real or true, usually because you choose to.” It believed to have originated in K-pop fan culture in the early 2010s and spread through TikTok by Gen-Z in 2023.
Skibidi comes from the viral Skibidi Toilet YouTube series. If you somehow skipped the skibidi trend (lucky you), it’s basically a filler word that can mean anything from “cool” to “bad” - or, somehow, nothing at all. We can thank the young Gen Alpha for adding this one to the vocabulary.
If you’re unsure how to use it, you could compare it to the Kiwi word “chur” - it’s flexible in the sense that you use it how you see fit.
A tradwife - short for “traditional wife” - has risen in popularity alongside MomTok and lifestyle influencers centred on homemaking.
Nara Smith is one of the most-followed social media creators often considered a tradwife. She prepared meals from scratch, romanticizing the idea of traditional gender roles.
So next time you or someone else says TikTok slang isn't “real words”, just remember... they're literally in the dictionary now.
