Social Media Slang Entries Expanded in Cambridge Dictionary, Including 'Tradwife' and 'Delulu' - Cambridge lexicon expands to incorporate social media slang such as "tradwife" and "delulu"
In the ever-evolving world of language, dictionaries like the Cambridge Dictionary are constantly adapting to reflect the latest trends and terms. One such update has seen the addition of several social media terms, including "Tradwife," "Delulu," and "Mouse Jiggler."
The Cambridge Dictionary, associated with Cambridge University, carefully selects words to add based on widespread use, stable meaning, and lasting cultural impact. They monitor how "real people actually use English" across various media, including social media, mainstream media, and spoken or written contexts. To aid in this process, they employ large language databases like the Cambridge English Corpus, containing billions of words, to track the frequency, context, and persistence of new words before adding them.
The term "Tradwife," which represents a trend on Instagram and TikTok that embraces traditional gender roles, gained enough traction to be included because it became widely recognized with a clear, consistent meaning across platforms. Similarly, "Delulu," a term derived from the word delusional, meaning "believing things that are not real or true, typically because one chooses to," was added due to its prevalence and understanding among users. "Mouse Jiggler," referring to software that simulates mouse movements on a computer, was also added for its significance in the digital age, particularly in remote work settings, where it can be used to give the appearance of activity.
Colin McIntosh, the lexical program manager at Cambridge Dictionary, explained that they add words only if they believe those words have "staying power," aiming to document language evolution without fleeting trends. This process captures cultural shifts and how language adapts to new societal norms and technology.
In Germany, the Duden, a German language dictionary, quantitatively records words to keep it up-to-date. Complex computer structures capture written language daily for the Duden. However, terms that are exclusive to social media do not meet the criteria for the Duden, highlighting the unique role of dictionaries like the Cambridge Dictionary in documenting internet culture.
In summary, new social media terms are added when they show broad and stable usage, clear meaning and context, evidence of enduring significance rather than fleeting popularity, and monitoring across a large corpus representing real English usage in diverse contexts. The 2025 update of the Cambridge Dictionary, which notably added over 6,000 new words, is a testament to this approach, reflecting the influence of internet culture, social media slang, and technology on the English language.
References: [1] Cambridge Dictionary (2022). Tradwife. Retrieved from https://www.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/tradwife [2] Cambridge Dictionary (2022). Delulu. Retrieved from https://www.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/delulu [3] Cambridge Dictionary (2022). Mouse jiggler. Retrieved from https://www.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/mouse-jiggler [4] Cambridge Dictionary (2022). Adding new words to the dictionary. Retrieved from https://www.cambridge.org/us/corporate/news/2022/june/adding-new-words-to-the-dictionary/
The process of adding new words to the Cambridge Dictionary involves considering terms that demonstrate broad and stable usage, clear meaning and context, evidence of enduring significance, and monitoring across a large corpus representing real English usage in diverse contexts. This approach was exemplified in the 2025 update of the Cambridge Dictionary, which included social media slang such as "Tradwife," "Delulu," and "Mouse Jiggler," reflecting the influence of internet culture and technology on the English language. Moreover, it is crucial to understand that dictionaries like the Cambridge Dictionary play a unique role in documenting internet culture and social media terms, as traditional dictionaries may not include terms exclusive to social media due to stringent criteria for word inclusion.
