I had a look at new words being introduced into various dictionaries in 2025. This is the AI summary – so I don’t know how accurate it is – but they show the immense impact of social media. Previously they would probably have been from literature or movies.
Unlike Swedish (and French I believe), there is no body that regulates which words are officially recognised in English. Sweden has the Swedish Academy, whose wordlist is regarded as the definitive guide to the Swedish language. The Swedish Academy also awards the Nobel Prize in Literature.
I wonder what the shelf-life of a social media word is? I would imagine that trends come and go pretty quickly.
Skibidi is, I would say, a ‘word’ used in jazz scat (vocal improvisation), even if only when mimicking jazz scat… I’m aware of the Skibidi TV YouTube channel.
A broligarchy isn’t an oligarchy ruled by genuine siblings, but by ‘bros’; close acquaintances (e.g. ‘tech bros’ such as Musk, Zuckerberg, Bezos et al)
But yes, many of these words will be ephemeral.
My new definition:
neologism n. a form of apoplectic seizure suffered by those who think language shouldn’t change