My Top 5 Weirdest New Words of 2025

Every December, dictionaries unveil new words that officially earn a spot in the English language. Most of them start as memes, jokes or social media fads. But once enough people use them, the dictionary powers simply shrug and say, “Fine. It counts.”

This year’s batch is especially quirky, and a few of them earned an immediate test run at the Firefly office.

Here are the most entertaining new additions.

skibidi (pronounced “SKIH-bih-dee”)

Added to Cambridge, this word can mean cool, bad, or absolutely nothing at all. It’s basically a verbal shrug, used mostly by Gen Z and Gen Alpha, often leaving the rest of us nodding politely and hoping context will save us.

delulu (pronounced “deh-LOO-loo”)

Also added to Cambridge, this playful shorthand for “delusional” is used when someone believes something despite all evidence to the contrary. Online-born, surprisingly versatile, and often used with affection rather than judgment.

bed rotting

A Gen Z term for intentionally spending extended time in bed doing absolutely nothing productive. Not sleeping, exactly. More like scrolling, snacking, watching comfort shows, answering texts, and generally refusing to engage with the outside world for a while. Despite how it sounds, bed rotting is not about laziness. It is about rest, recovery, and opting out of constant productivity. Think of it as radical permission to recharge, preferably under a blanket, with your phone at a low brightness setting.

deinfluence

A term popularized on TikTok and now firmly in the cultural lexicon, a deinfluencer does the opposite of selling. Instead of urging you to buy the latest must-have product, they explain why you probably don’t need it. Sometimes it’s about saving money. Sometimes it’s about sustainability. Sometimes it’s just refreshing honesty. In a digital world built on persuasion, deinfluencing has become its own quiet rebellion, and one that feels particularly relevant in marketing conversations right now.

And drum roll please for my favorite “word” of all.

6-7 (pronounced exactly as “six seven”)

Dictionary.com’s Word of the Year, and possibly the most confusing entry on the list. 6–7 is a Gen Z/Gen Alpha slang expression used to react to almost anything.  It’s a verbal placeholder that means nothing and something at the same time.

The word 6–7 is usually accompanied by a hand gesture. Both hands are held out and loosely bounced or wiggled, like a physical shrug. With the gesture, 6–7 communicates mild confusion, playful indifference, “whatever,” or “I don’t know.”. And somehow, this makes perfect sense to the people using it. The randomness is the point.

As an early Gen X-er, I first saw it explained on CBS Sunday Morning, bravely tried it out at the Firefly office, and was met with a pause before one of my younger staff members said, “You’re kind of… unintentionally slay.” I am taking that as a win, even if I needed a translation!

Closing Thought

Language has always been a living thing and constantly evolving.  New words aren’t just trends. They reflect how we think, feel, and connect with each other and can make us laugh - or roll our eyes - in the middle of a chaotic week.  

Whatever they look like, these odd little additions remind us that communication is never static. It is playful, human, and always in motion. And no, you are not delulu, sometimes it means nothing at all.

Have you come across a weird word that you’ve started using? Share it with me at stacy@fireflyforyou.com