Dictionary.com's Summer Word Drop is Here. This Time it's Supersized.

"The 2025 Summer Word Drop offers a snapshot of the world in motion," said Steve Johnson, PhD, Director of Lexicography for the Dictionary Media Group at IXL Learning. "Each entry captures how people are living, working and communicating today, and how English continues to absorb and adapt."

The themes behind the terms
Before we dive in, here's a quick look at the trends shaping this summer's additions. Powerful new prefixes are front and center in how we describe people, places and things. Japanese terms have made their way into everyday language after being popularized in anime, travel and food culture. And—as always—slang terms have gone viral, for better or worse (hello, kiss cam). Some words are brand new; others have been around for years but have now reached critical mass in common usage.

Words that dial it up
Intensifying prefixes like super-, ultra-, and mega- reflect the cultural moment's appetite for excess, optimization and extremes.

• Superintelligence (noun): the cognitive capacity of an entity (usually AI) that possesses a higher level of intelligence than humans.
• Superyacht (noun): a yacht of extraordinary size, power or luxury.
• Ultrawide (adjective): extremely wide; much wider than average.

On loan from Japan
More than 36 million tourists visited Japan in 2024—five million more than any previous year. With that record-breaking interest came a growing global fascination with Japanese culture, helping bring these words into wider use in English.

• Okonomiyaki (noun): a savory pancake made with cabbage and other ingredients such as noodles, meat, or seafood, and served with various toppings and condiments.
• Maneki-neko (noun): a good luck statuette of a cat in a sitting position with one paw lifted in greeting or welcome.
• Furoshiki (noun): a piece of cloth, often with a decorative print, traditionally used to wrap gifts or carry things.

Slang that stuck
From stadium traditions to office trends, these slang terms reflect how people navigate work, relationships and entertainment.

• Kiss cam (noun): a popular feature at stadium events (and apparently, Coldplay concerts) in which two spectators, presumed to be a couple, are shown on a large screen and encouraged to kiss for the audience's entertainment.
• Coffee badging (noun): the practice of being physically present at the workplace just long enough to have coffee or to meet attendance expectations before returning to remote work.
• Sanewash (verb): to misrepresent (a statement, idea, or person) as sensible or acceptable by obscuring extreme or eccentric qualities.

Talking politics
As conversations around law, immigration and urban planning evolve, so does the language we use to discuss them.

• Congestion pricing (noun): a policy of reducing excessive traffic by charging motorists a fee to drive a private vehicle into a city center or on busy roads, especially during rush hour.
• Bothsidesism (noun): the practice or habit of representing opposing arguments as equally strong or invalid, whether they are or not.
• Refoulement (noun): the act of sending a refugee or asylum-seeker back to a jurisdiction where they are likely to be persecuted.

As always, Dictionary.com is here to document not only what language is—but what it is becoming. Stay tuned for our next update, and in the meantime we'll continue tracking the cultural shifts and linguistic creativity that shape English, one word at a time.

Read more about Dictionary.com's 2025 Summer Word Drop at https://www.dictionary.com/e/supersized-summer-word-drop-2025/.

About Dictionary.com
Dictionary.com is the internet's leading language reference and learning destination: millions of people turn to us each day to better understand words—the very fabric of language, identity and ideas. We are committed to helping people express themselves, make connections and find opportunities through the power and joy of language. From authoritative definitions and grammar guidance to engaging editorial and multimedia experiences, Dictionary.com makes learning intuitive and relevant so you can put your ideas into words, and your words into action.

Press Contact
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IXL Learning
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SOURCE IXL Learning