Copyright MassLive
If you’re the parent of a school-aged child or a member of Gen Alpha, then you’ve probably heard the term “67” — many times over. The word started trending in June and since then has increased more than sixfold, and the surge shows no signs of stopping. This exponential rise, which is particularly striking since most other two-digit numbers hold no meaningful cultural trend, is why Dictionary.com named “67″ (pronounced “six-seven”) its 2025 “Word of the Year”. The source, however, admitted the choice was made even while its team is “still trying to figure out exactly what it means.” First things first: the term can be written as “6 7, 6-7 or six-seven” but it is never pronounced as “sixty-seven,” Dictionary.com explained. The origin of “67″ is thought to be a song called “Doot Doot (6 7)” by Skrilla. But it was quickly reinforced by viral TikToks featuring basketball players and a boy who will forevermore be known as the “67 Kid.” Within weeks, teachers were trading tips online about how to get their students to stop saying “67″ constantly in the classroom. Yet, even as the term caused widespread disruption, the source said that the meaning of “67″ is considered “complicated.” For some, it can mean “so-so” or “maybe this, maybe that,” especially when paired with its signature hand gesture where both palms face up and move alternatively up and down. Some children are also using it as an opportunity to frustrate older adults as a reply. For instance, if a parent asks their kid, “Hello, darling child, how was school today?” The child may say, “67!” Dictionary.com says the most defining feature of “67″ is that it’s indefinable. “It’s meaningless, ubiquitous, and nonsensical. In other words, it has all the hallmarks of brainrot,” the source said. “It’s the logical endpoint of being perpetually online, scrolling endlessly, consuming content fed to users by algorithms trained by other algorithms. And what are we left with in the wake of this relentless sensory overload? 67. Still, it remains meaningful to the people who use it because of the connection it fosters.” Dictionary.com’s team also identified 10 other words that made an impact during 2025: Agentic: “A word to describe technologies that can perform tasks autonomously and make independent decisions-so called ‘agentic AI’” Aura farming: Combines aura, a modern sense of charisma, style or personal energy, with farming, meaning “cultivation” or “deliberate effort,” to create a term meaning “the practice of intentionally developing one’s presence or vibe” Broligarchy: A playful yet pointed term meant to capture the “public frustration felt in some circles with the concentration of power among a small, culturally homogenous elite” Clanker: A mocking label for artificial intelligence Dynamite emoji (TNT, Taylor ‘n’ Travis): Traditionally representing dynamite, a firecracker or TNT, the emoji conveys in 2025 the impact of explosive energy and became a reinterpretation following the engagement of singer Taylor Swift and professional football player Travis Kelce Gen Z stare: A blank or expressionless look often attributed to Gen Z particularly in the workplace or retail settings Kiss cam: A staple of sports arenas and concert venues found new cultural life following the viral moment in July when two executives from a data company were shown together on a kiss cam at a Coldplay concert Overtourism: The overwhelming influx of visitors to popular tourist destinations, causing environmental strain, cultural disruption and local frustration Tariff: Duties or customs imposed by a government on imports or exports Tradwife: Short for “traditional wife,” the word is “tied to conservative subcultures that idealize a dutiful, domestic model of femininity.” The term has “broadened into a label for an aesthetic as much as an ideology.” Some embrace it as a personal choice while others critique it as reinforcing outdated gender roles.
