Cambridge Dictionary Names “Inspire”โ Word of the Year 2025
The Cambridge Dictionary has announced “inspire” as itsโ Word ofโ theโฃ Year for 2025, recognizing a surge in usage reflecting a โglobal focus on โคpositive influence and โmotivational figures. The selection highlights a societal shift towards celebrating individuals who spark creativity,โฃ hope, and action.
The Dictionary noted a notable increase in searches for โ”inspire” throughout the year, โฃcoinciding with widespread โฃattention given too individuals demonstrating leadership,โข resilience, and artistic expression. While the wordโฃ itself isn’t new, its prominence in 2025 reflects a renewed cultural emphasis โon the powerโค ofโ positive role models.
“‘Inspire’ resonated strongly this year as โคpeople actively sought โฃout figuresโค and stories that offered encouragementโ and a sense of possibility,”โค explained Colin McIntosh, Chief Editorโข of the Cambridge Dictionary.”Our data clearly shows a considerable increase in โขsearches, indicating aโ growing desire to understand and articulate the impact of inspirational forces inโ our lives.”
The rise in searches wasn’t limited to conventional definitions of โinspiration. The Dictionary observed increased usage relating to โcommunity initiatives, environmental โฃactivism, and personal growth journeys.This broadened submission demonstrates how the concept of inspiration hasโ become increasingly democratized,extending โbeyond celebrity culture to encompass everyday individuals making a difference.
Psychologists studying societal trendsโฃ have observed a parallel increase in theโค desire for positive narratives, notably in responseโข to global challenges. Theโข need for uplifting figures and stories appears to be aโ key driver โฃbehind the โคword’s increased prominence.
The Cambridge Dictionary’s choice of “inspire” as Word of the Year 2025 underscores a collective yearning for โhope, motivation, and โฃthe belief in a brighter โfuture. It marks a shift in linguistic focus โtowards celebrating the power of human potential and the individuals who ignite it.