🌐 What Is “Vibe Coding”?
Vibe coding is a new way of software development that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to transform natural language into computer code. Instead of typing complex syntax, developers can simply describe what they want, and AI writes the code automatically.
This innovative concept has earned the title of Collins Dictionary’s Word of the Year for 2025, reflecting the growing influence of AI in everyday life and technology.
🧠 Why Collins Chose “Vibe Coding”
Collins’ team of lexicographers selected vibe coding after noticing a sharp rise in usage since February 2025. The word was tracked through the 24-billion-word Collins Corpus, a massive linguistic database that analyzes news, media, and social platforms worldwide.
The term was coined by Andrej Karpathy, former Director of AI at Tesla and one of OpenAI’s founding engineers. He introduced it to describe how AI allows people to “forget that the code even exists” while developing apps — highlighting the growing fusion between human creativity and machine intelligence.
🗒️ Other Popular Words on Collins’ 2025 List
Along with “vibe coding,” several other trending words made it to Collins Dictionary’s 2025 notable words list:
- Biohacking – Altering the body’s natural processes to enhance health and longevity.
- Clanker – A slang term for robots or AI systems, popularized by Star Wars: The Clone Wars, used to show frustration or distrust toward AI.
- Glaze – To flatter or praise someone excessively and insincerely.
- Aura Farming – The deliberate creation of a “cool” or charismatic online persona, made famous by the viral boat kid trend.
- Broligarchy – A playful nickname for powerful “tech bros,” inspired by their high-profile presence at Donald Trump’s inauguration.
- Henry – Short for High Earner, Not Rich Yet, describing professionals with high income but moderate wealth.
- Coolcation – A vacation in a cooler climate to avoid extreme heat.
- Taskmasking – Pretending to be productive while doing very little actual work.
- Micro-retirement – Taking short career breaks between jobs to explore personal interests or hobbies.
These words together paint a picture of how digital culture, AI, and lifestyle trends are shaping modern vocabulary.
💬 Expert Insight from Collins
According to Alex Beecroft, Managing Director of Collins, the selection of vibe coding represents a powerful shift in how language and technology evolve together.
“It marks a major change in software development,” Beecroft explained. “AI is making coding more accessible, and the fusion of human creativity with machine intelligence is transforming how we interact with computers.”
🚀 The Rise of AI-Driven Creativity
The recognition of vibe coding as the Word of the Year 2025 highlights a turning point where AI tools are not just assisting developers but becoming collaborators in creation.
From natural language programming to autonomous code generation, this trend shows how AI is democratizing technology, making coding easier for everyone — from hobbyists to professional engineers.