2025's words of the year reflect a year of digital disillusionment

Disparate as they may seem, a thread of digital nihilism runs through AI slop, 6-7, parasocial and rage bait.

- Roger J. Kreuz

Which terms best represent 2025? Every year, editors for publications ranging from the Oxford English Dictionary to the Macquarie Dictionary of Australian English select a “word of the year”.

Sometimes these terms are thematically related, particularly in the wake of world-altering events. “Pandemic”, “lockdown” and “coronavirus”, for example, were among the words chosen in 2020. At other times, they are a potpourri of various cultural trends, as with 2022's “goblin mode,” “permacrisis” and “gaslighting”.

This year’s slate largely centres on digital life. But rather than reflecting the unbridled optimism about the internet of the early aughts — when words like “w00t”, “blog”, “tweet” and even “face with tears of joy” emoji were chosen — 2025's selections reflect a growing unease over how the internet has become a hotbed of artifice, manipulation and fake relationships.

WHEN SEEING ISN'T BELIEVING

A committee representing the Macquarie Dictionary of Australian English settled on “AI slop” for its word of the year.

Macquarie defines the term, which was popularised in 2024 by British programmer Simon Willison and tech journalist Casey Newton, as “low-quality content created by generative Al, often containing errors, and not requested by the user”.

Al slop — which can range from a saccharine image of a young girl clinging to her little dog to career advice on LinkedIn — often goes viral, as gullible social media users share these computer-generated videos, text and graphics with others.