Collins Dictionary named "agentic" its word of the year on Wednesday. The Glasgow-based publisher said the term, describing artificial intelligence that acts independently on a user's behalf, had crossed from Silicon Valley jargon into mainstream British and American speech during 2026.

The choice extended a run of technology-driven selections by the publisher. Collins picked "AI" in 2023 and "vibe coding" in 2025, while its 2024 pick, "brat", reflected pop culture instead. Lexicographers at Collins said they identified the winner by tracking the Collins Corpus, a database of more than 20 billion words drawn from websites, newspapers, broadcast transcripts and social media.

Collins said usage of "agentic" rose sharply as major technology firms marketed AI assistants able to book travel, complete purchases and manage inboxes without step-by-step instructions. The publisher's announcement also included a shortlist of runners-up. That list featured slang and cultural terms tied to a year shaped by the FIFA World Cup in North America and the US midterm elections.

The announcement opened the annual word-of-the-year season among English-language dictionaries. Cambridge Dictionary typically names its choice later in November, and Oxford University Press usually follows in early December. Merriam-Webster in the United States generally announces near the end of the year.

Language researchers have noted that word-of-the-year picks increasingly track public anxiety and fascination with automation. Collins said the definition of "agentic" would be added to its online dictionary with immediate effect.