“Vibe Coding” Crowned Collins Word of the Year 2025, Beating AI Insult “Clanker”

In a move that solidifies the profound impact of artificial intelligence on our daily language, Collins Dictionary has named “vibe coding” its Word of the Year for 2025. This term, which encapsulates a revolutionary approach to software development, rose from obscurity to prominence in just a matter of months, signaling a major shift in how humans interact with technology. The selection was made by lexicographers who monitor the massive 24-billion-word Collins Corpus.
“Vibe coding” is defined as the practice of using natural language and AI to generate functional computer code. The term was coined in February by Andrej Karpathy, a founding engineer at OpenAI and the former director of AI at Tesla. He described it as a method that could allow a creator to build an application while being able to “forget that the code even exists,” highlighting a future where technical barriers are significantly lowered.
The choice of “vibe coding” is significant, as it reflects a positive and creative integration of AI into our lives. According to Alex Beecroft, the managing director of Collins, the term “perfectly captures how language is evolving alongside technology.” He emphasized that it signals a major shift where AI is making coding more accessible, blending human creativity with machine intelligence.
However, the list also reflects our anxieties about this new technology. A strong contender for the top spot was “clanker,” a derogatory term for computers, robots, or AI. Popularized by the Star Wars: The Clone Wars series, the word went viral on social media as a way for people to express their frustration and distrust of AI chatbots and platforms that increasingly mediate their lives.
The rest of the 2025 list charts the course of modern life. It includes “biohacking,” the alteration of one’s body processes for longevity, and “broligarchy,” a nickname for the powerful tech executives. The list also features “Henry” (high earner, not rich yet), “coolcation” (a holiday to a cool climate), “taskmasking” (faking productivity), and “micro-retirement” (a break between jobs).