Language changes quickly, but some internet expressions survive long enough to become part of everyday vocabulary. The latest daily trending topic is Merriam-Webster’s addition of hundreds of words and definitions, including looksmaxxing, copium, AGI and vibe coding.
The new entries offer a snapshot of modern life, covering social media, technology, food, relationships and popular culture. They also show that online slang can move from niche communities into mainstream conversation when people use it frequently and consistently.
Why these new words matter
Merriam-Webster does not add terms simply because they are briefly popular. Its stated approach considers whether a word has frequent, widespread and meaningful use over time.
That means an expression must appear regularly in different forms of communication, be understood by people across communities or industries, and provide a useful way to describe an idea. A word can be suggested and rejected before later becoming established enough for inclusion.
Among the most recognisable additions are looksmaxxing, referring to the pursuit of improving physical appearance, and copium, a humorous term for denying, minimising or avoiding an uncomfortable reality.
New dictionary words reflecting internet culture
Technology and online behaviour
- AGI: Artificial general intelligence.
- Vibe coding: Using an artificial intelligence system to generate computer code.
- Parasocial: A one-sided emotional connection with someone known through public or media exposure.
- Meme coin: A cryptocurrency created around a joke, trend or personality, often without clear practical utility.
- Neckbeard: A term that can describe a socially awkward gamer or computer enthusiast, or an internet troll with misogynistic or ultraconservative views.
Other entries capture familiar online experiences. Being “Rickrolled” means being tricked into opening a disguised link to Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up”, while the Mandela effect describes a shared false memory.
Food, lifestyle and popular culture join the list
The additions are not limited to social media slang. Merriam-Webster also recognised everyday terms such as superfood, chili crisp, cake pop and shapewear.
Relationship and lifestyle language is represented by cuffing season, the colder period when some single people seek short-term companionship, and California sober, a recovery approach involving abstinence from certain drugs while allowing recreational use of marijuana or alcohol.
Popular culture also features strongly. Yacht rock describes a style of soft rock associated with the 1970s and 1980s, while glow-up refers to a dramatic positive change in a person’s or thing’s appearance. Crashout describes a mental or emotional breakdown, and trash panda is a playful name for a raccoon.
Read more: Ireland’s biggest online trends
For more coverage of internet culture, entertainment and the latest trending stories in Ireland, explore Daily Digest’s coverage of the conversations shaping the day.
Explore more: culture and digital life
Readers following Irish media, technology and social media news can find further analysis at Media Digest, while lifestyle and culture features in Ireland are available through Luxe Digest.
What this language shift tells us
The latest dictionary update demonstrates how vocabulary records social change. Artificial intelligence has created new technical language, online communities have popularised new forms of humour, and changing lifestyles have produced terms for food, relationships and wellbeing.
For anyone trying to keep up with Gen Z slang or the latest daily trending topic, these words provide a useful guide. The key takeaway is simple: a phrase becomes part of the language when it proves durable, widely understood and genuinely useful—not merely because it goes viral for a few days.
