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Word of the year

Every year, countries throughout Europe participate in the tradition of selecting a "word of the year." Here are the words from the previous year!

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Word of the year

Every year, countries throughout Europe participate in the tradition of selecting a "word of the year." This practice involves choosing a single word or phrase that reflects the social, cultural, or political trends and events of the year. The word of the year serves as a symbolic representation of the collective consciousness and prevailing themes within a society. It captures the zeitgeist and becomes a reflection of the shared experiences, concerns, and aspirations of the people.

 

Words of the year 2025

United States 2025

Slop

Slop is defined as “digital content of low quality that is produced usually in quantity by means of artificial intelligence.” This reflects the widespread production and consumption of low‑value AI‑generated digital content in 2025 and how this has become a defining feature of online culture.

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Ukraine 2025

Perehovory

In Ukraine, the Word of the Year 2025 is “negotiations”, chosen by the Myslovo online dictionary of modern Ukrainian language and slang. The term refers to formal discussions aimed at reaching agreements and became prominent in public discourse in 2025 due to diplomatic efforts and peace talks related to the war.

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Luxembourg 2025

Trounwiessel

In Luxembourg, the Word of the Year 2025 is “Trounwiessel”, selected by the Centre for the Luxembourgish Language (Zenter fir d’Lëtzebuergescht) in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and media partners. The term refers to accession to the throne — chosen due to the nation’s change of head of state and its prominence in public and media discussions throughout the year.

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Iceland 2025

Vangreiðslugjald

In Iceland, the Word of the Year 2025 (Orð ársins 2025) is “vangreiðslugjald.” Chosen by the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies, the term refers to the fee or penalty for failing to pay metered parking. It became widely discussed in 2025 due to debates about parking rules and urban regulations, reflecting a real‑world issue affecting daily life.

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Hungary 2025

Édesanya

In Hungary, the Word of the Year 2025 is “édesanya”, which literally translates to “sweet mother” or simply “mother” in English. It was chosen by Montágh Testület, a linguistic committee working with Hungarian public media (MTVA), because the word became a symbol of family, care, and emotional closeness in 2025. The selection reflects not only the frequent usage of the word in public discourse but also its cultural significance. It captures themes of parental love, familial bonds, and societal appreciation for caregiving, highlighting the role of mothers in both private and public life.

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Netherlands 2025

Hallucineren

“Hallucineren” was chosen as the Van Dale Word of the Year 2025 because the term gained prominent new relevance in the context of artificial intelligence, where it describes AI systems generating information that is incorrect or not grounded in reality. The choice reflects the growing societal and linguistic impact of AI technologies.

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Italy 2025

Fiducia

“Fiducia” (trust) was chosen as Italy’s Word of the Year 2025 by the Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana Treccani for its social relevance. It reflects the importance of confidence in oneself, in others, and in institutions, especially in a year marked by geopolitical and social uncertainty, and highlights the human need to build reliable, positive relationships.

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Poland 2025

Kosmos

The word “kosmos” first appeared in Polish in the Wilno Dictionary (1861). In 2025, “kosmos” and “kosmiczny” (“cosmic”) were widely used in connection with Dr. Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski’s trip to the International Space Station. In contemporary Polish, these words often carry a positive, evaluative sense, as in “ale kosmos!” (“this is amazing!”), which contributed to its selection as the Word of the Year.

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Denmark 2025

Jernmarker

In Denmark, the Word of the Year 2025 is jernmarker. It was chosen because it became widely used and significant in public and political debate, especially in discussions about land use and opposition to covering farmland with solar cells. The term captured an important societal issue that shaped Danish conversations in 2025.

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Norway 2025

Tekoligark

“Tekoligark” is a Norwegian compound word meaning tech oligarch — an extremely wealthy and powerful person who controls major technology companies and, through them, exerts significant influence over digital life and society. It was chosen as Norway’s Word of the Year 2025 because it captures public debate about the power and influence of big tech leaders and reflects societal concerns about dependence on large technology firms.

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Portugal 2025

Apagão

“Apagão” was chosen as Portugal’s Word of the Year 2025 because it highlights the major blackout on April 28, 2025, which left large parts of Portugal and Spain without power for several hours. The event disrupted daily life and became a memorable topic of public discussion.

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Germany 2025

KI-Ära

”KI‑Ära” (AI Era) was chosen as Germany’s Word of the Year 2025 because it reflects the growing influence of artificial intelligence on society, economy, and everyday life. The term symbolizes a new period in which AI moves from research labs into daily use, shaping public discussions, technology, and culture.

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Austria 2025

Elch Emil

“Elch Emil” was chosen as Austria’s Word of the Year 2025 because it captured the nation’s attention. In mid‑2025, a moose nicknamed Emil wandered across Lower and Upper Austria, an unusual event that drew widespread media coverage and public fascination, making it a cultural phenomenon.

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Switzerland 2025

Frauen-Nati

In the summer heat, the Swiss spectators were sweating in their seats at the European Football Championship and broke attendance records. Meanwhile, on the pitch, the women’s national football team, the Frauen-Nati, confidently advanced to the quarterfinals. The women’s football summer led to a boom: clubs in Switzerland were overrun by young female players whose dream is probably to one day play for the Frauen-Nati.

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Spain 2025

Arancel

Tariff (arancel) is the term used in the context of trade policy to refer to the amount charged for the import of certain products. The Diccionario de la lengua española defines arancel as “an official rate determining the fees to be paid for various services, such as court costs, customs, etc., or established to remunerate certain professionals.” It is commonly used to designate the tax that a state imposes on goods crossing its borders, usually on imports.

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United Kingdom 2025

Vibe coding

‘Vibe coding’,an emerging software development that turns natural language into computer code using AI, has been named Collins’ Word of the Year 2025. The term was popularised by Andrej Karpathy, former Director of AI at Tesla and founding engineer at OpenAI, to describe how AI enables creative output while he could “forget that the code even exists”.

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United Kingdom 2025

Rage bait

Online content deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage by being frustrating, provocative or offensive, typically posted in order to increase traffic to or engagement with a particular webpage or social media content.

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United Kingdom 2025

Parasocial

...involving or relating to a connection that someone feels between themselves and a famous person they do not know, a character in a book, film, TV series, etc, or an artificial intelligence.

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