‘Vibe coding’ named Collins Dictionary’s Word of the Year

The term "vibe coding," which represents a new approach to software development utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) to convert natural language into programming code, has been recognized as Collins Dictionary's Word of the Year for 2025. This selection highlights the growing influence of technology on our daily lives, as various terms reflecting the human-tech relationship dominate this year's list. According to Collins Dictionary, "vibe coding" is defined as "the use of artificial intelligence driven by natural language to aid in the coding process." In simpler terms, it allows developers to communicate their intentions to a machine rather than manually writing code. The phrase was introduced by AI expert Andrej Karpathy, who previously served as Tesla's AI director and was a founding engineer at OpenAI. He coined this term to describe a coding process where developers can focus on creativity without being bogged down by the intricacies of programming. Alex Beecroft, managing director of Collins, stated in a press release that the choice of "vibe coding" as the Word of the Year illustrates the evolving nature of language alongside technological advancements. He remarked that this term signifies a pivotal shift in software development, emphasizing how AI is democratizing coding and enhancing the synergy between human creativity and machine intelligence. In addition to "vibe coding," other tech-related terms made it to the shortlist, including "clanker," a derogatory term for robots or AI, inspired by the "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" series. Additionally, the term "broligarchy" refers to a wealthy group of men wielding political power, with notable examples including figures like Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk. The shortlist also featured words such as "Henry," an acronym for "high earner, not rich yet," alongside phrases like "taskmasking," which describes the act of feigning productivity at work, and "micro-retirement," a break taken between jobs to pursue personal interests. Another intriguing term is "biohacking," which pertains to modifying one's biological processes for health improvement. Lastly, "coolcation" was noted as a holiday taken in cooler climates, a response to rising global temperatures. Last year's Word of the Year was "brat," defined as a person with a confident and hedonistic attitude, while the accolade in 2023 went to AI, seen as a transformative force in technology.