Slang dictionary
clanker
[ klangk-er ]
What does clanker mean?
Clanker is a derogatory term for robots and artificial intelligence that perform tasks once done by humans. (A clanker can technically include everything from a chatbot to the handy robot vacuum in your living room.) Although the term was coined years earlier, it exploded in popularity in 2025 with the rise of AI. The word clanker pops up on social media both as a joke and as a serious term for those concerned that machines are replacing human jobs.
Where does clanker come from?
Although clanker became a buzzword for AI in 2025, it actually originated years earlier as a negative nickname for battle droids in the Star Wars franchise. The 2008 animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, for example, helped to popularize it in online fandom circles, as well as onscreen in the series. Clanker is considered an onomatopoeia, thought to be named after the clanking sound of the metal droids in Star Wars.
According to Adam Aleksic, author of Algospeak, the modern clanker meme of 2025 began to take root in the Star Wars fan subreddit r/Prequelmemes.
Clanker has been described as a slur for robots, with some saying that it mirrors societal racism by dehumanizing a group. But others argue that in labeling it as a slur, we’re “humanizing” technology that isn’t actually human.
Examples of clanker
Who uses clanker?
People use the term clanker both online and in person to comment either seriously or lightheartedly on the rise of AI. Some oppose using the term, however, because they say it perpetuates other slurs throughout history.
Note
This is not meant to be a formal definition of clanker like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of clanker that will help our users expand their word mastery.
