“Vibe Coding” Declared Word of the Year in Tech-Saturated 2025

Collins Dictionary has officially named “vibe coding” its Word of the Year for 2025, a choice that underscores the overwhelming influence of artificial intelligence on modern language. The term, which describes using natural language to create computer code, emerged in February and saw a meteoric rise in usage, as tracked by the 24-billion-word Collins Corpus.
The term was coined by Andrej Karpathy, a key engineer at OpenAI and former Tesla AI director. He used it to describe a process where AI makes coding accessible to the point that a user can “forget that the code even exists.” This selection highlights a major cultural shift, where human creativity is being directly merged with machine intelligence.
The 2025 list was notably “tech-heavy,” reflecting a public conversation dominated by new technologies. Among the other entries was “clanker,” a derogatory Star Wars-derived term for AI and robots. Its popularity, driven by social media frustration with chatbots, presents a stark contrast to the optimism of “vibe coding.”
Also on the list was “broligarchy,” a critical nickname for the tech elite, and “biohacking,” the practice of altering one’s body for better health and longevity. These terms collectively paint a picture of a society grappling with the power, potential, and peril of its own technological advancements.
Away from the world of AI, the list included words that capture modern social and economic life. “Henry” (high earner, not rich yet) reflects financial anxiety, while “aura farming” (cultivating a cool persona) and “glaze” (excessive praise) were born from social media trends. “Coolcation,” “taskmasking,” and “micro-retirement” rounded out the snapshot of 2025.