A lot of year-end lists can feel like a chore, but this is one we really enjoy compiling.
There is simply so much happening in the English language, which admittedly isn’t unusual. But these days (these years?), much of it is driven not by discoveries of science or new trends in scholarship, but by the spirit of an impatient new generation, and the language of the streets.
In keeping with that spirit, the words listed here may not have made it to dictionaries yet, but they are terms that have swept through the English-speaking world this past year; terms many have used and delighted in; and that make the list because they simply suit a task or emotion better than the options that existed before them.
Without further preamble, here are our favourite trending terms from 2025.
At the top of the list, for its easy flip from crisis to hope, is “carbon handprint”, which describes the positive impact a person or initiative can have or is having on the environment (the antonym, of course, being “carbon footprint”). It’s a lovely image too, isn’t it, green marks leading to a better outcome?
“Gigil” (pronounced ghee-gill) comes next, a rather exuberant addition. Drawn from Tagalog, and with roots therefore in the Philippines, it is an expression far more delectable than “cute aggression”, for that urge to squeeze or pinch something because it is so lovable.
“Spice bag” makes the list because it was suddenly seemingly everywhere, and because it sounds delicious. The fast-food phenomenon was apparently created by a Chinese takeaway restaurant in Dublin, about 15 years ago, but gained fame via TikTok and Instagram in recent months, even making it to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2025. The snack consists of fries, shredded deep-fried chicken, fried onions, red and green chilli peppers and chopped-up jalapeño peppers, tossed together in a bag with a dry spice mix, often served with a side of “curry sauce” (we know… there’s no such thing, but what do you do) for dipping.
Next up: “Aura farming” and “AI-washing”, which make the list for the ways in which they capture dominant moods of the year. The former can be one of two things. It can indicate a mad scramble to seem cool; the act of creating or curating a public image of laidback ease, for the sole purpose of gaining social-media prestige points. Or it can indicate true effort to improve oneself. If that seems confusing and self-contradictory, well, welcome to the ’20s.
AI-washing, similar to greenwashing, meanwhile, is the practice of exaggerating or faking the use of artificial intelligence in order to appear innovative. (How are we here already? Were those em dashes even the work of ChatGPT? Come on!)
Which brings us to “alamak”, an exclamation of surprise or dismay, with roots in a Malaysian colloquialism. This one is for all those moments when “Good lord!” simply feels repetitive.
Circling back to artificial intelligence and the technology of the near-future, the term “digital empathy” has been a welcome addition, indicating training programs and tools designed to enable better connection and understanding between humans, and between humans and machines, in virtual environments.
Swing to the other end of the empathy spectrum and meet the “broligarchy”, a mashup of “tech bro” and “oligarchy”, used to refer to the men taking over the world via their ruthlessly gargantuan companies. (You know the guys: playgrounds in Low Earth Orbit, secret survivalist bunkers, resource-guzzling apps, and dictator salutes.)
For the vast majority without the billions and survivalist bunkers, there is “resilience engineering”, which indicates efforts by organisations (and individuals; at least the really smart ones) to build systems and offerings that can absorb the shocks we know are coming; attempt to prepare for those we can’t foresee; and quickly adapt to the origami of change as it ceaselessly unfolds.
Check off enough of these boxes and you can get yourself a T-shirt that says IBE or I Be Eating. And that’s all, folks.
Which of these best describes your mood? Write in to letters@hindustantimes.com. We’d love to know.
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