From ‘Glaze’ to ‘Clanker’: 2025 Word List Shows Growing Distrust in Tech and Online Culture

A clear theme of skepticism and frustration runs through the 2025 Collins Dictionary Word of the Year list. While the top spot went to the optimistic “vibe coding,” the shortlist was filled with terms of disapproval, including “clanker” and “glaze,” which highlight a growing public cynicism.
“Clanker,” a major contender for the top prize, is a derogatory term for computers, robots, and AI. Its viral spread, which originated in Star Wars lore, is now used to express deep-seated frustration and distrust of AI chatbots and other automated systems that are perceived as unhelpful, cold, or even threatening.
In the social sphere, “glaze” has become a popular word of disapproval. It means to praise or flatter someone excessively or undeservedly. In the age of social media, it’s used to call out inauthentic behavior and the sycophantic praise often heaped upon influencers and celebrities, reflecting a cultural weariness with performative online relationships.
These words provide a linguistic outlet for modern anxieties. They allow users to critique the tools they are forced to interact with (“clanker”) and the social dynamics they observe (“glaze”). Their inclusion shows that language is evolving not just to embrace new ideas but also to resist them.
Other terms like “broligarchy” (criticizing tech elites) and “taskmasking” (pretending to work) further add to this narrative of discontent. The 2025 list is, therefore, a powerful record of what we distrust, what we disapprove of, and what we are pushing back against.