Merriam-Webster Names 'Slop' as the 2025 Word of the Year
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
Merriam-Webster has named 'slop' its Word of the Year for 2025, highlighting the impact of generative AI and its unexpected evolution into affectionate multiplayer gaming slang like 'friendslop.'
The lexicon of the internet has officially crossed over into official documentation. Merriam-Webster has crowned 'slop' as its Word of the Year for 2025, defining the term as low-quality digital content churned out in massive quantities using artificial intelligence. As reported by Polygon, the four-letter descriptor has dominated online discourse as feeds fill with automated noise. For modern gamers and digital natives, the term captures a broader frustration with algorithmic clutter and the rush of low-effort generative assets appearing across platforms.
Yet the gaming ecosystem has taken the concept and evolved it in a fascinating direction. Throughout 2025, the community embraced what became known as 'friendslop' games. Titles like Peak, REPO, and RV There Yet lean into low-budget aesthetics and chaotic cooperative gameplay specifically designed to generate viral clips for Twitch and TikTok. Unlike the derogatory nature of pure AI slop, these community-driven projects became a term of endearment and a vital social outlet for players looking to connect through shared laughter.
Other notable entries on the dictionary's list reflect the deep crossover between online gaming vernacular and mainstream culture. The classic internet put-down 'touch grass' also made the cut, alongside tongue-in-cheek inclusions born from platforms like Roblox. As digital spaces continue to function as our primary social hubs, these linguistic milestones show just how deeply gaming culture shapes the way the world speaks. You can read the original report over at Polygon.
Tags: Gaming Culture, AI, Industry News, Streaming, Community
Original article: Polygon