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Cambridge Dictionary Formalizes Gen Z Slang and Policy Terms in 6,000-Word Update

A year-long corpus study guided editors to add only new terms with broad, sustained usage, from social-media slang to policy jargon

Overview

  • Over 6,000 new entries went live in mid-August, featuring words like skibidi, delulu and tradwife drawn from online subcultures
  • Lexicographers relied on frequency and context data from the Cambridge English Corpus to vet neologisms for staying power
  • Additions include remote-work jargon such as mouse jiggler and public-policy phrases like forever chemical and 15-minute city
  • Composite terms such as broligarchy capture critiques of concentrated tech-industry influence in politics and society
  • Editors say the update underscores how digital platforms and influencer-driven discourse are reshaping mainstream English vocabulary