The Words Defining 2025: A Generation's Struggle with Unyielding Online Connections

2025 has left many feeling exhausted and stuck in a never-ending digital loop.

Several dictionary and platform selections for 'word of the year' in December highlight themes of tiredness and uncertainty in the tech-centric age.

Casper Grathwohl, head of Oxford Languages, described 2025 as a year focused on identity, both virtual and real-world.

Fresh graduates are facing job market hurdles, while online interactions seem stagnant, and employees are struggling with artificial intelligence demands. Let's explore the terms reflecting 2025's spirit.

Glassdoor Chooses 'Fatigue'

Glassdoor, a job site famous for company reviews, noticed a sharp increase in 'fatigue' mentions, designating it their word of the year.

With endless job applications hitting dead ends and the rapid pace of AI causing burnout, candidates feel tired.

A survey showed that 78% of professionals felt news was sapping their energy at work. Job market stagnation, where employees cling tightly to positions, exacerbates the situation.

Collins Dictionary Highlights 'Vibe Coding'

An AI researcher, Andrej Karpathy, inspired Collins Dictionary's choice with 'vibe coding,' signifying a move towards using language to command AI development rather than starting from zero.

Workplaces not primarily based on engineering are increasingly relying on coding queries, hinting at a futuristic, tech-heavy direction.

Rage Bait: Oxford's Pick

If you've ever shared infuriating digital content, you've met Oxford Dictionary's term of 2025: 'rage bait.'

Designed to provoke, 'rage bait' drives online interaction through anger, with its occurrence tripling, revealing shifts in attention dynamics.

Cambridge's 'Parasocial' Relationships

Cambridge Dictionary points to 'parasocial' ties—unreciprocated affiliations with public figures and AI—as a word that frames persistent social media use.

Followers often develop profound interactions with celebrities or AI personalities, which are emotionally significant yet one-sided.

Macquarie Dictionary's 'AI Slop'

Macquarie Dictionary raised a red flag with 'AI slop,' denoting concern about poorly generated AI content that can misinform.

Such content disrupts productivity and sometimes misleads, demanding a rise in skills to sift through this noise.

Number '67' by Dictionary.com

Dictionary.com surprisingly selected '67' for its word of the year, reflecting unexpected trends in numerical slang.

The number saw a surge in searches, capturing a sense of ambiguity and indifferent assessments, often used to signify a middling judgment.