The Macquarie Dictionary has revealed its 2025 Word of the Year, with “AI slop” taking out both the Committee’s Choice and the People’s Choice, marking only the fourth time in history the two groups have agreed.
Defined as low-quality, error-ridden content generated by artificial intelligence and not requested by the user, AI slop reflects growing public frustration with the explosion of automated material online. The Committee noted that as people have evolved from “search engineers” to “prompt engineers”, they now face a rising tide of meaningless AI-generated text—prompting the question of whether those who produce or spread such content may soon be called “AI sloppers”.
Two other terms capturing shifts in AI and society received Honourable Mentions:
- Clanker – a usually derogatory term for AI-driven robots or automated systems that take on roles traditionally done by humans, popularised by Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
- Medical misogyny – deep-rooted gender bias in medical research and healthcare, an issue the Committee said has existed “since antiquity”, including in the language of anatomy itself.
The public vote mirrored the Committee this year, again placing AI slop in the top spot, followed closely by medical misogyny and the increasingly relevant attention economy—a term describing the battle for human focus in a world filled with digital noise.
The shortlist for 2025 showcased a colourful array of emerging cultural markers, from Australian sushi and bathroom camping to Ozempic face, quadball, and the ever-present Roman Empire.
Alongside the announcement, Macquarie Dictionary is also set to release Dirty Politics: A–Z of Trickery, Treachery and Other Tasty Treats. The book dives into the sharp-tongued world of Australian political slang, featuring previous Word of the Year winners and 2025 shortlister bird-dogging. The title hits shelves on 25 November.
The Word of the Year is drawn from new entries added annually to the Macquarie Dictionary Online, with public voting shaping the People’s Choice award.
