An emerging software development that has transformed natural language into computer code using artificial intelligence has been declared Collins Dictionary’s Word of the Year 2025.
In its simplest form, the term "vibe coding” is defined as “the use of artificial intelligence prompted by natural language to assist with the writing of computer code,” according to Collins Dictionary.
It means telling a machine what you want rather than meticulously coding it yourself. It’s programmed by vibes and not variables.
The term "vibe coding" has resonated far beyond Silicon Valley, highlighting a global cultural shift towards AI-assisted everything in everyday life.
The lexicographers at Collins Dictionary evaluated the 24-billion-word Collins Corpus (a database made up of over 20 billion words from the English language), which draws from a range of media sources to compile the annual list of new and notable words that “highlight our ever-evolving language and the preoccupations of those who use it.”
“Vibe coding” is the Word of the Year, a two-word phenomenon that means the art of turning language into computer code using artificial intelligence.
The dictionary has noticed a significant surge in its usage (vibe coding) since it first appeared in February 2025.
The term “vibe coding” was invented by former AI director at Tesla, Andrej Karpathy, who is also the founding engineer at OpenAI.
The term defines how someone can use AI to generate a new app while forgetting “that the code even exists”- a paradigm shift that allows people with zero coding skills to build full-blown digital platforms.
The selection of vibe coding as the 2025 Word of the Year shines a spotlight on the rapid evolution alongside technology.
This trend signals a paradigm shift in software development, where artificial intelligence is making coding more accessible than ever.
