The Italian language evolves, in step with technological development and changes in society: this is why, among the neologisms included in Treccani’s Book of the Year 2025, most of the terms selected have to do with the most important – or most discussed – facts of these 12 months, from sport to geopolitics, from gossip to the environment.
From “tornanza” to “Pro-Pal”, from “zombie drug” to “splitting eyes” – linked to the Raoul Bova scandal -, from “hallucination of artificial intelligence” to “unplayable”, referring to Jannik Sinner: like every year, the volume summarizes the 365 days that have just passed.
In reality, these are neologisms that will not automatically enter the new editions of the dictionaries of the Italian language: nevertheless, the analysis of the Treccani Observatory of the Italian language offers a glimpse of what 2025 was in Italy, a year full of events and great changes.
The new words of 2025: the list in the Treccani Book of the Year
The Treccani 2025 book of the year recounts the most discussed events of the year in almost 600 pages, from war, economic and social tensions, to historical and news events. This is why the selection of linguists ranges from the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East to the kidnapping of the journalist Cecilia Sala in Iran, from the death of Pope Francis to Jannik Sinner’s tennis triumph.
Here is a non-exhaustive list of some of the neologisms selected by the Treccani Observatory of the Italian Language, which edited the newly published book:
- Pro-Pal, «those who support the political cause of the Palestinian people».
- Sumud, «resilience, resistance, hope for the future, solidarity, understood as cultural and political values of the Palestinians».
- Maranza, «a young person who is part of noisy street groups or groups, characterized by boastful and loud attitudes and with a tendency to pick fights».
- “Splitting eyes”, “beautiful eyes that release an intense gaze”.
- Zombie drug, «journalistic name for the medicine Fentanyl, an analgesic opioid sold illegally and taken as a powerful drug».
- Tornanza, «the action, the fact of returning to the place of origin».
- Climate refuge, “a public or private place capable of offering refuge from extreme temperatures”.
- Kiss cam, «the camera that films couples kissing in the stands».
- Romantasy, «a genre of fiction that intertwines passionate love stories and themes typical of adventurous fantasy».
- Keybox, «combination key fob safe».
- Unplayable, «unbeatable, commonly used to describe the tennis player Jannik Sinner».
- “Anything”, “anything that is said out of turn”
Honorable mention for neologisms related to technology and, in particular, artificial intelligence. A series of terms that will probably also accompany us in future years:
- Artificial intelligence hallucination, «the incorrect information produced by an artificial intelligence system».
- Nudification, «abusive and illegal creation of fake nudes, mostly female».
- Metatelephone, «transparent plastic rectangle similar to a cell phone, but fake».
Finally, the world of economics and finance, from which the following were selected:
- Economic bullying, «action of oppression exercised with the intention of imposing unfavorable conditions on other actors active on the economic or financial scene».
- Cryptogate, «the scandal linked to the issuance of cryptocurrencies».
- Counterduty, «the duty that strikes as an instrument of retaliation».
Will these new words enter the dictionary? Not exactly
But, therefore, will all these neologisms officially become part of the dictionaries of the Italian language? In reality, that’s not really the case. As the Observatory’s linguists themselves confirm, this selection photographs some episodes of 2025, but neologisms will not always conquer future editions of dictionaries. «Our work is limited to reporting those words that, over the course of the year, have had greater relevance in common use or in print and only time will tell if they will stay forever.”
In short, it is probable that expressions such as «hallucination of artificial intelligence» or «climate refuge» will officially become part of our vocabulary, while others – like the same «splitting eyes» – will end up running out once the trend is forgotten.
