The latest additions to the Cambridge Dictionary – including slang terms like skibidi, delulu, tradwife, and broligarchy – offer more than just a peek into Gen Alpha’s evolving language; they expose a deeper, more unsettling cultural shift.
Axar.az informs that as internet culture dominates, words born on platforms like TikTok and YouTube are now officially part of the English lexicon, reflecting not only youth trends but also the anxieties and ideologies shaping them.
Skibidi, from the viral “Skibidi Toilet” series, embodies chaotic, meme-driven content often criticized as “brain rot,” mirroring young people's overstimulation and disconnection from reality. Delulu, short for delusional, resonates in a “post-truth” era fueled by misinformation and conspiracy theories. Tradwife signals a resurgence of regressive gender roles glamorized online, while broligarchy critiques the rise of tech elites with political ambitions.
Together, these words paint a bleak picture of a generation grappling with political instability, disinformation, hyper-capitalism, and a collapsing sense of truth – all while escaping into surrealist internet humor. Far from being trivial fads, these terms mark the linguistic evolution of a deeply uncertain age.