Every year, new words are added to the Cambridge Dictionary. This year, more than 6,000 new words have been added to the lexicon, including 'skibidi,' 'delulu,' and 'broligarchy.'
The addition of these words, often seen as mere Internet slang, proves the influence of the TikTok generation on the English language. Some of these have been used online for years, while others have gained popularity recently.
'Skibidi', for example, has only appeared on the Internet over the last couple of years after a YouTube video titled 'Skibidi Toilet' went viral. The Cambridge Dictionary now defines 'skibidi' as 'a word that can have different meanings, such as ‘cool’ or ‘bad,’ or can be used with no real meaning as a joke".
'Delulu,' on the other hand, has reportedly been in use for more than a decade. The word, an abbreviated version of 'delusional,' was reportedly used to describe certain types of K-pop fans. It went viral after being used in a TikTok video that coined the phrase 'delulu is the solulu'.
“Internet culture is changing the English language, and the effect is fascinating to observe and capture in the dictionary,” said Cambridge's lexical programme manager Colin McIntosh. “It’s not every day you get to see words like 'skibidi' and 'delulu' make their way into the Cambridge Dictionary. We only add words where we think they’ll have staying power.”
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