“Vibe Coding” Triumphs: AI’s Impact on Language Solidified by Collins Dictionary

Collins Dictionary has cemented the influence of artificial intelligence on the English language by naming “vibe coding” its 2025 Word of the Year. The term, which refers to the use of natural language to instruct an AI to write code, saw an explosive rise in usage since its emergence in February, according to the 24-billion-word Collins Corpus.
The selection of “vibe coding” highlights a pivotal moment in technology. Coined by OpenAI engineer Andrej Karpathy, the term captures a shift where human-computer interaction is becoming more conversational and intuitive. It suggests a future where the technical barriers to creation are dissolving, replaced by the power of human imagination and language.
Alex Beecroft, managing director of Collins, emphasized the term’s significance, stating it “perfectly captures how language is evolving alongside technology.” He called it a “major shift in software development” that seamlessly blends “human creativity and machine intelligence.”
The dominance of AI as a theme was evident across the list. The runner-up, “clanker,” is a derogatory term for AI that went viral on social media, expressing the public’s frustration and distrust of the same technology. “Broligarchy,” a name for the tech elite, also made the list.
The 2025 list was rounded out by words reflecting modern social, economic, and workplace trends, including “Henry” (high earner, not rich yet), “aura farming” (curating a cool persona), “biohacking” (health optimization), and “taskmasking” (faking productivity).