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Collins Dictionary has declared “vibe coding” to be the word of the year for 2025. This term captures the nexus between artificial intelligence and human creativity in a rapidly evolving language and technical environment. The lexicographers at Collins chose the word “vibe coding” from a robust shortlist of novel and developing terms. They keep an eye on the Collins Corpus, a 24-billion-word database that compiles the annual list of new and interesting words from a variety of media sources, including social media. Andrej Karpathy, a former AI director at Tesla and founding engineer at OpenAI, first used the term to refer to the process of using AI to generate software code from natural-language prompts instead of writing code line by line. Collins claims that as human language and machine systems become more integrated, the decision represents a larger linguistic change. “The selection of ‘vibe coding’ … perfectly captures how language is evolving alongside technology,” Alex Beecroft, managing director of Collins, told The Independent. Why ‘Vibe Coding’ Stood Out Collins’ Word of the Year for 2025 is “Vibe coding,” a cutting-edge software development technique that uses artificial intelligence to translate natural language into computer code. Andrej Karpathy popularised the phrase to illustrate how AI allows for creative production while he could “forget that the code even exists.” Early in 2025, vibe coding began to be used and it soon came to represent a new paradigm in software development: users articulating their needs in plain English and allowing AI to convert them into code. Its detection highlights how AI tools are changing not only tech operations but also human vocabulary, creating new terms related to human interactions, jobs and self-expression. Other Shortlisted Expressions Worthy of Note While ‘vibe coding’ emerged at the top, Collins highlighted several other terms that relate to this year’s contemporary culture: “Clanker” is an insulting term used to describe computers, robots, or artificial intelligence systems that irritate users. “Glaze” refers to giving someone unjustified or excessive praise or flattery. “Aura farming” is the deliberate development of a captivating online presence through and charismatic persona. “Broligarchy” refers to the male-dominated elite class in technology, similar to “tech bros.” Other contenders are as follows: “Biohacking,” also known as “Do-it-yourself biology,” refers to the practice of modifying the body’s natural functions in an effort to improve physical health and prolong life. “Coolcation” is a vacation in a cool location as the temperatures in their home or usual vacation spot climb. Gen Z and millennials often use the phrase “micro-retirement” to refer to taking a vacation from work in order to pursue personal interests. “Taskmasking” is the practice of appearing to be productive at work. “HENRY” is an acronym for “high earner, not rich yet”, which refers to a person who makes a lot of money but does not have anything saved. The previous Collins words include Brat (2024), Permacrisis (2022), Lockdown (2020), Climate strike (2019), Single-use (2018), Brexit (2016) and Binge-watch (2015).
