New Phrases for 2025
Language is constantly evolving—and 2025 is no exception. With the influence of social media, pop culture, and the ever-changing digital world, new phrases and expressions are popping up that capture the essence of our modern lives.
15+ New Phrases for 2025
Here are 15+ fresh and fabulous phrases you’ll hear in 2025.
- Glow down – Opposite of “glow up”; when someone’s appearance or vibe worsens.
- He really had a glow down after college.
- Soft launch – Subtly introducing a new relationship on social media.
- Did you see her story? Looks like a soft launch of a new boyfriend!
- Main character moment – Feeling like you’re the star of your life/movie.
- I walked into the room in slow-mo—total main character moment.
- Canon event – A significant event in one’s life that shapes their character.
- Failing that test was my canon event.
- Nostalgia-core – A lifestyle or aesthetic centered on nostalgia (’90s, Y2K, etc.).
- Her room is full of VHS tapes and Tamagotchis—pure nostalgia-core.
- Quiet quitting 2.0 – Doing the bare minimum, but now in personal life too.
- He’s quiet quitting the relationship—zero effort.
- Delulu (short for “delusional”) – Having overly optimistic or unrealistic thoughts.
- I’m being delulu thinking he’ll text me back.
- Hard launch – Making a bold, official announcement (relationship, job, etc.).
- She hard launched her new business on Insta!
- Petfluencer – A pet that’s famous online or used for branding.
- That dog has more followers than me. Total petfluencer!
- Rizz – Slang for charisma or charm, especially in flirting.
- He’s got mad rizz with the ladies.
- Digital detoxing – Taking intentional breaks from screens and tech.
- This weekend is all about digital detoxing and self-care.
- AI it – Using AI to help you complete a task.
- I didn’t write the caption—just AI’d it.
- Pre-prepping – Planning your prep. Yes, it’s meta!
- I’m pre-prepping my travel list tonight.
- Vibe check fail – When someone says or does something that ruins the mood.
- He made that joke at the wrong time—total vibe check fail.
- Cloud chasing – Constantly uploading photos to the cloud and not sorting them.
- My gallery is chaos—I’ve been cloud chasing all year.
The English language is vibrant and ever-changing. These 2025 phrases reflect the creativity, humor, and cultural shifts happening in real-time. Don’t be afraid to use them—language is meant to evolve, and these expressions are your ticket to sounding in-the-know and culturally connected.
