Tech’s Total Takeover: 2025 Word of the Year List Dominated by “Vibe Coding,” “Broligarchy”

Collins Dictionary’s 2025 Word of the Year list serves as a clear mirror to our times, revealing a language increasingly dominated by technology, artificial intelligence, and the culture surrounding it. The top honor went to “vibe coding,” a term for AI-assisted software development, but the entire list is packed with tech-heavy terms, including “broligarchy” and the AI-insult “clanker.”
The winner, “vibe coding,” refers to the emerging practice of using natural language prompts to have an AI generate computer code. Its selection, based on a huge spike in usage monitored by the 24-billion-word Collins Corpus, highlights a pivotal moment in human-computer interaction. Coined by OpenAI’s Andrej Karpathy, it suggests a future where coding becomes accessible to anyone who can describe an idea.
Further cementing tech’s grip on our vocabulary is the inclusion of “broligarchy.” This portmanteau, blending “bro” and “oligarchy,” gained traction as a nickname for the elite group of male tech company owners. Its inclusion points to a growing public consciousness and critique of the concentrated power held by Silicon Valley’s top figures, particularly after their high-profile political engagements.
The list also captures the public’s complex, often negative, relationship with technology. “Clanker,” a derogatory term for AI and robots borrowed from Star Wars, went viral as an expression of distrust in chatbots. Similarly, “biohacking,” the activity of altering one’s natural bodily processes to improve health, sits at the intersection of technology and human ambition.
Beyond the circuit boards, the list reflects modern social and work dynamics. “Aura farming” (deliberately cultivating a cool persona) and “glaze” (excessive flattery) speak to our online social lives. Meanwhile, “taskmasking” (faking work productivity) and “micro-retirement” (a career break) reveal new attitudes toward employment in a post-pandemic world.