Vibe coding is building software by describing what it should do to an AI model in natural language and accepting the code the model generates without reading or reviewing it.
The term is also used more loosely for any use of AI to write code from natural-language prompts, which is how dictionaries define it. Merriam-Webster defines it as “the act or practice of using an artificial intelligence system to generate computer code … in a given programming language,” and Collins as “the use of artificial intelligence prompted by natural language to assist with the writing of computer code.” In the narrower sense, what sets vibe coding apart is that nobody reviews the code. A programmer who uses the same tools, such as a coding agent, but reads, tests, and maintains the generated code is doing what Martin Fowler calls agentic engineering: “they aren’t forgetting the code exists, so it’s really a different thing.”
Security
Flaws the model introduces can stay undetected in an application whose code nobody reads. AI-generated code in general is prone to such flaws: in Veracode’s 2025 GenAI Code Security Report, more than 100 large language models were tested on coding tasks, and 45% of the code samples failed security tests and introduced OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities. That study measured code generation, not vibe coding as such.
History
Andrej Karpathy used the phrase in a post on X on February 2, 2025, describing a kind of coding where you “fully give in to the vibes, embrace exponentials, and forget that the code even exists,” adding, “I ‘Accept All’ always, I don’t read the diffs anymore,” and noting that it was “not too bad for throwaway weekend projects.” Collins Dictionary named vibe coding its Word of the Year for 2025 on November 6, 2025. Merriam-Webster added it to its dictionary in September 2026.
Sources
- Post on X, February 2, 2025, Andrej Karpathy. Retrieved October 21, 2026.
- Vibe Coding, Martin Fowler. Retrieved October 21, 2026.
- 'Vibe coding' named Collins Dictionary's Word of the Year, CNN, November 6, 2025. Retrieved October 21, 2026.
- vibe coding, Merriam-Webster. Retrieved October 21, 2026.
- vibe code, Merriam-Webster. Retrieved October 21, 2026.
- Merriam-Webster welcomes 'looksmaxxing,' 'vibe coding' and 'cuffing season' to new word list, Fox Business, September 20, 2026. Retrieved October 21, 2026.
- We Asked 100+ AI Models to Write Code. Here's How Many Failed Security Tests., Veracode, July 30, 2025. Retrieved October 21, 2026.
See also
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