A powerful theme of escape and adaptation dominates the 2025 Collins Dictionary Word of the Year list. As modern life becomes more stressful, our language is evolving to create new concepts for breaks, as seen in the inclusion of “micro-retirement” and “coolcation.”
“Micro-retirement” has surged in use to describe a planned, intentional break from a career. Unlike a sabbatical, it’s a full stop—a period between jobs used to pursue personal interests and combat the burnout epidemic. It’s a word that redefines the career path as something flexible and non-linear.
Meanwhile, “coolcation” is a word born from the climate crisis. It refers to a holiday taken in a place with a cool climate, a growing trend as travelers flee the record-breaking heat of traditional destinations. It’s a term that reflects a new priority in leisure: finding physical comfort in an overheating world.
These two words, identified by Collins lexicographers, are the vocabulary of a population seeking refuge. We are seeking “micro-retirements” from the pressures of work and “coolcations” from the pressures of a changing environment.
Even the winner, “vibe coding” (using AI to code), can be seen as a form of escape—an escape from the rigid, technical demands of traditional programming. This year’s language is clearly focused on finding new, creative ways to make life more manageable.