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YPulse’s Gen Z Words of the Year

Everyone’s unveiling their word of the year, always inspired by Gen Z trends, and YPulse experts have their own thoughts on the phrases and lingo that defined the gen in 2025…

Written and Edited by the YPulse Editorial Team

Dec 8 2025
North America

KEY TAKEAWAYS

YPulse’s words of the year reflect the content Gen Z has been consuming, including “slop” and “rage bait”
Phrases tied to Gen Z’s push for mindfulness, such as “lock in” and “intentional,” were huge
And of course, wonderfully absurd, internet-born terms—like “aura farming,” “recession indicators,” and “reheated nachos” are defining Gen Z slang

As 2025 winds down, brands and dictionaries are rolling out their Words of Year—and most of them trace right back to Gen Z. Oxford picked “rage bait,” Cambridge chose “parasocial,” Collins crowned “vibe coding,” and Dictionary.com even selected the not-quite-word “6-7.” All of these reflect how deeply Gen Z shapes not only pop culture, but the language everyone ends up using. So naturally, YPulse—where keeping up with Gen Z is literally what we do—is adding our own selections to the mix, based on what we’ve watched Gen Z use this year. We spend all year tracking the slang, phrases,...