‘Vibe coding’ named word of the year by Collins dictionary

People walk through a display booth for the Mila, Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute, at the All In AI conference in Montreal on Thursday, Sept., 25, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

London, United Kingdom -- “Vibe coding,” a word that essentially means using artificial intelligence (AI) to tell a machine what you want instead of coding it yourself, was on Thursday named the Collins Word of the Year 2025.

Coined by OpenAI co-founder Andrej Karpathy, the word refers to “an emerging software development that turns natural language into computer code using AI,” according to Collins Dictionary.

“It’s programming by vibes, not variables,” said Collins.

“While tech experts debate whether it’s revolutionary or reckless, the term has resonated far beyond Silicon Valley, speaking to a broader cultural shift towards AI-assisted everything in everyday life,” it added.

Lexicographers at Collins Dictionary monitor the 24-billion-word Collins Corpus, which draws from a range of media sources including social media, to create the annual list of new and notable words that reflect our ever-evolving language.

The 2025 shortlist highlights a range of words that have emerged in the past year to pithily reflect the changing world around us.

“Broligarchy” made the list in a year that saw tech billionaire Elon Musk briefly at the heart of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos cozying up to the president.

The word is defined as a small clique of very wealthy men who exert political influence.

‘Coolcation’

New words linked to work and technology include “clanker,” a derogatory term for a computer, robot or source of artificial intelligence, and “HENRY,” an acronym for high earner, not rich yet.

Another is “taskmasking,” the act of giving a false impression that one is being productive in the workplace, while “micro-retirement” refers to a break taken between periods of employment to pursue personal interests.

In the health and behavioural sphere, “biohacking” also gets a spot, meaning the activity of altering the natural processes of one’s body in an attempt to improve one’s health and longevity.

Also listed is “aura farming,” the deliberate cultivation of a distinctive and charismatic persona and the verb “to glaze,” to praise or flatter someone excessively or undeservedly.

Although the list is dominated by words linked to technology and employment, one from the world of leisure bags a spot -- “coolcation,” meaning a holiday in a place with a cool climate.

Last year’s word of the year was “Brat,” the name of U.K. singer Charli XCX’s hit sixth album, signifying a “confident, independent, and hedonistic attitude” rather than simply a term for a badly-behaved child.