AI Terms Including “Vibe Coding” Enter the Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Artificial intelligence has achieved an unexpected milestone: its terminology has become established enough to enter the dictionary.

Dozens of words and phrases related to artificial intelligence and technology have been added to the online version of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. The venerable reference work has been a staple in American libraries and classrooms for decades, tracing its roots to the Encyclopedia of Words, published in 1806.

The latest additions, announced in September, include terms that require advanced knowledge to understand, such as “agent” and “natural language processing”, according to academics.

“You can’t really explain ‘vibe coding’ unless you know what ‘programming’ is,” says Peter Sokolowski, a Merriam-Webster lexicographer who writes and edits dictionary entries.

Sokolowski says the sophistication of the new entries reflects how digital communication has made highly technical terminology more accessible to non-specialists in the 21st century.

“This particular piece feels like more of a meta-commentary about language than anything I’ve ever seen,” he says.

How new AI and technology words enter the dictionary

Before a word can be included in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, it must appear repeatedly in mainstream media, including newspapers and magazines, Sokolowski says.

An expert group of physical and biological science “definers” then identifies words for possible inclusion. The group examines how each term is used technically before creating a definition that can be understood by a general audience.

Why technology creates new words so quickly

The spread of complex terminology is not surprising, says Lela Boroditsky, a cognitive scientist at the University of California, San Diego, who studies language and cognition.

Technological and scientific innovations often drive changes in language. Boroditsky says the pace of technological progress today is comparable to, or even faster than, the change seen during the Industrial Revolution.

This rapid transformation leads to the creation of new words and phrases.

“The more complex a society becomes, the more tightly packed units of meaning we need to create so we can talk about complex things in a way that doesn’t take forever,” she says.