The word ‘Skibidi’ has been added to the Cambridge Dictionary, alongside ‘Tradwife’ and ‘Delulu’ – but do you know what it actually means? Here’s everything you need to know about the strange Gen Alpha meme
The internet has created some truly strange and wacky memes – and one of them has become so popular, it has made it all the way into the Cambridge Dictionary.
Most people have heard ‘Skibidi’ being used by Gen Alpha (people born roughly between 2010 and 2024) for some time now. But do you know what it really means?
‘Skibidi’ is among some 6,000 new entries that have been added to the online edition of the Cambridge Dictionary over the last year, its publisher has said. It comes after calls for 90s tattoo necklaces to return as Maya Jama and Millie Bobby Brown join trend.
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Tradwife, a portmanteau of traditional wife, has also been included, described as “a growing, controversial Instagram and TikTok trend that embraces traditional gender roles”.
Similarly, ‘delulu’, derived from the word delusional, also features, meaning “believing things that are not real or true, usually because you choose to”.
But what about ‘skibidi’? It derives from a strange meme that went viral called ‘skibidi toilet’, which all started from a single YouTube short created by animator Alexey Gerasimov.
Gerasimov, whose channel is known as DaFuq!?Boom! , created a creepy animation of a cartoon man’s head coming out of a grungy toilet bowl while singing.
He was inspired by the TikTok remix of the song “Dom Dom Yes Yes” by Biser King – specifically the version posted by TikToker Paryss Bryann – and created his own version, which he says was adapted from a ‘recurring dream’ he kept having. It has now been adapted into more than 70 videos ranging from one to five minutes.
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With its catchy song stuck, as well as the scary image of a human head inside the stained toilet, Gerasimov created the ultimate viral meme. And Gen Alpha completely embraced the expression, with the word ‘skibidi’ becoming part of their everyday lexicon. But previous generations remain baffled.
According to its new dictionary entry, ‘Skibidi’ is a term which has “different meanings such as cool or bad, or can be used with no real meaning”. So, while it is often used with no specific meaning, it can signify good, bad, or cool, depending on the context.
“It’s not every day you get to see words like skibidi and delulu make their way into the Cambridge Dictionary,” said Colin McIntosh, Lexical Programme manager at the Cambridge Dictionary.
“We only add words where we think they’ll have staying power. Internet culture is changing the English language and the effect is fascinating to observe and capture in the Dictionary.”
Other new phrases include “lewk”, used to describe a unique fashion look and popularised by RuPaul’s Drag Race, and “inspo”, short for inspiration.