'Vibe Coding' Named Word Of The Year By Collins Dictionary: What Does It Mean?

Collins Dictionary is suggesting users try “vibe coding” if they are interested in creating a computer programme, but don’t know where to start.

The pioneering dictionary publisher announced on Thursday that “vibe coding” is its word of the year. The viral term, made up of two words, is linked to the growing influence of artificial intelligence.

‘Vibe coding’ means creating an app or website by describing it to an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot instead of writing the code yourself.

The phrase was coined in February by OpenAI Co-Founder Andrej Karpathy. It shows how AI can let programmers “forget the code even exists” and “go with the vibes” when making programs, Collins Dictionary mentioned in its blog post.

“Vibe coding” was one of 10 words on a shortlist. These words were chosen to show the mood, language and ideas that shaped 2025.

With the presence of so many AI chatbot tools, users can simply instruct them with prompts like: “make me a program that schedules my weekly meals”.

People can use “vibe coding” to create basic apps without any prior coding experience. While more advanced tools are still needed for refined programmes, the rise of AI tools has made building digital platforms accessible to non-coders.

It allows anyone to turn ideas into simple programmes quickly, lowering the barrier to entry for technology creation.

Alex Beecroft, the Managing Director of Collins, said the term "perfectly captures how language is evolving alongside technology".

Not just ‘vibe coding’, but there is another term that has gone viral due to its connection with AI. This term, ‘clanker’, was one of the 10 shortlisted words on Collins Dictionary’s 2025 list. While 'clanker' has been in existence since the mid-2000s, it only became popular in July. The word draws reference from the Star Wars games and is being widely used by people to describe their frustration with AI-powered machines.

Many other phrases or terms also made it to the top list, including aura farming, Henry (high earner, not rich yet) and micro-retirement.