Not all the words necessarily first emerged in 2025 – but Collins decided this was the year they became popular.
For example “clanker”, a term used to describe robots in Star Wars games and movies since the mid 2000s, made the list after it went viral on TikTok in July as people shared their frustrations with AI-powered machines.
While “aura farming” – people doing things for the sake of looking cool, often when they know they’re being filmed – was first used in January 2024, but became increasingly popular over the course of 2025.
And the portmanteau “broligarchy” took off in 2024 to describe the owners of the world’s biggest technology companies and their purported political influence – and was used frequently in 2025 following the appearance of many of the bosses at US President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
The other definitions in the shortlist were:
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Henry, acronym for “high earner, not rich yet”, or a person who has not accrued substantial wealth from their high income
