aura
noun
| OR-uh
‘Cool’ factor; star power; stylish swagger
What does aura mean?
Aura is a slang term meaning “stylishness; confident and suave excellence.” In sports and entertainment, an athlete or performer is said to have aura when displaying exceptional talent, charisma, or other inspirational qualities. On social media, one is said to gain or lose (metaphorical) aura points when doing something impressive or embarrassing, respectively.
Examples of aura
At Paris 2024, the athlete possessing the most natural aura might be the irrepressible Sha’Carri Richardson, a track phenomenon boasting a personality the size of a small planet, an indomitable sense of self-belief and a fierce determination to succeed …
—Ben Jhoty, Esquire (Australia), 29 Jul. 2024
Nobody will ever have aura like Michael Jackson
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how many aura points did i lose when i let him tell me time and time again i wasnt a priority in his life but i always made it a point to make him one of my top priorities, even above myself.
—Greatest Aura Fluctuations … Toilet paper on shoe (-3500 aura) … Falling into a push-up (+9000 aura) …
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Where does aura come from?
The slang meaning of aura stems from the word’s sense meaning “a distinctive atmosphere or quality someone or something is felt to emanate”—that is, the energy or ‘vibe’ given off.
It spread online in the early 2020s, especially in reference to athletes observed to exhibit prowess in their sport. In summer 2024, aura went viral on social media, especially TikTok, often in connection to a video trend in which people playfully quantified how many so-called aura points someone gained or lost relative to variously smooth or awkward social scenarios.
How is aura used?
In sports and entertainment, aura is widely used in reference to athletes or performers seen as demonstrating charismatic excellence. A football player, for example, who is not only dominant on the field but also a leader in the locker room may be said to have aura. Aura is sometimes issued as a one-word comment on an example of such exceptionalism, and is sometimes used attributively, as in a ‘major aura moment.’ In these contexts, use of aura often overlaps with its originating sense of “air” or “energy,” as in “This legendary venue has aura; its air of greatness is palpable.”
On social media, aura often appears in reference to gaining or, especially, losing aura points, typically as accompanied by an arbitrary numeric evaluation of everyday incidents and interactions (e.g., ‘+10,000 aura’ for making a hilarious joke or ‘-3,500 aura’ for tripping in public). The resulting tally is sometimes called an aura count. While this practice of assigning positive and negative aura points is typically humorous, instances centered solely on losing aura points or experiencing negative aura range in tone and intent, variously earnest, emotional, self-deprecating, or mocking.
Aura also appears in the slang auramaxxing, for efforts meant to maxx (“maximize”) one’s aura, especially through grooming, dress, and other forms of self-presentation and among younger men. Auramaxxing is connected to looksmaxxing, or efforts young men take to look more attractive.
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