'What Timeline Is This?': Internet Reacts As Cambridge Adds Viral Gen Z Slang To Dictionary

Last Updated:August 18, 2025, 19:09 IST

Internet users were quick to express their mixed feelings about the additions, especially those that emerged from online meme culture

Cambridge University Press said the words were added after careful review. (AP file photo)

The Cambridge Dictionary has added 6,000 new words and phrases over the past year, many of them made popular by Gen Z and Gen Alpha.

Words like “skibidi", “delulu", and “tradwife" have stirred lively reactions online, with some users asking, “What timeline is this?" as they questioned the direction in which the English language is heading.

On platforms like X and TikTok, users were quick to express their mixed feelings about the additions, especially those that emerged from online meme culture.

One X user wrote, “lmfao I can’t believe this they’ve just announced they’re adding the word ‘skibidi’ to the official Cambridge Dictionary 😭 what timeline is this???"

Another commented on the dictionary’s struggle to define the word, “Cambridge lexicographers absolutely throwing in the towel when asked to define skibidi: ‘a word that can have different meanings or no meaning’."

On TikTok, some users expressed frustration over the decision, New York Post reported.

One user posted, “Congratulations English is no longer a language, it’s a TikTok comment section."

Another added, “I’m usually fine with language evolving and changing and the dictionary keeping up but do not add the gibberish word Skibidi to the dictionary."

Not everyone was upset, though. Others found humour in the moment. One user joked, “This is the reason why most of humanity is delulu."

Cambridge University Press said the words were added after careful review, reflecting how internet culture continues to influence the evolution of language.

Colin McIntosh, Lexical Programme Manager at Cambridge Dictionary, said, “We only add words where we think they’ll have staying power. Internet culture is changing the English language and the effect is fascinating to observe and capture in the Dictionary."

Other new words include “lewk" (a unique fashion style) and “inspo" (short for inspiration). The rise of working from home brought in “mouse jiggler," a tool to pretend you’re active on the computer. There’s also “forever chemical," describing man-made chemicals that stay in the environment for years and are linked to climate change concerns.

(With inputs from agencies)

United Kingdom (UK)

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