Macquarie Dictionary has announced its 2025 word of the year shortlist, featuring 15 finalists ranging from the serious 'medical misogyny' to the gen alpha slang 'six-seven'. The list includes terms such as 'AI slop', 'Australian sushi', 'ate (left no crumbs)', 'attention economy', 'bathroom camping', 'bird-dogging', 'blind box', 'clanker', 'femgore', 'Ozempic face', and 'Roman empire'. Australians can vote for the people's choice award until Sunday night, with winners in both the committee's choice and people's choice categories revealed next Tuesday.
Executive editor Victoria Morgan said the shortlist reflects words that have entered the dictionary over the past year from categories including finance, fashion, and health. 'The public's always interested in what's new, what's taking our attention,' she said. Morgan noted that 'six-seven', a nonsense phrase popular among younger generations, may cause confusion but is included to represent diverse language use.
Macquarie Dictionary has been awarding words of the year for 20 years. Last year's winners were 'enshittification' for both categories. This year's shortlist also features 'BAL rating', a bushfire exposure assessment system, and 'Australian sushi', defined as thick, uncut sushi rolls eaten by hand. The dictionary follows Collins and Dictionary.com, which have already named their 2025 words of the year: 'vibe coding' and '67' respectively.
