Slang & Words We're Watching

Slang (page 2)

boujee

Fancy, swanky, associated with wealth or indulgence

brain rot

Mindless digital content; the fixation on it and harmful mental effects of it

canon event

A formative life experience; a relatable episode of good fortune or hardship

Chad

A stereotypical alpha male; a man, admired or scorned for brazen self-confidence

cheugy

Makes fun of being uncool

chibi

A cute, baby version of a cartoon character stylized with a big head

clout

Attention, fame, or popularity, especially on social media

CODA

Child of deaf adults

copium

An Internet taunt for a delusional loser

cottagecore

Quaint, cozy, and modest fashion and style drawn from bucolic inspirations

delulu

Delusional; audaciously self-confident

doge

Internet slang for dog; a meme about a Shiba Inu; a cryptocurrency; a ‘government efficiency’ task force

elevens

vertical wrinkles between one’s eyebrows

enby

A nonbinary person; relating to or being nonbinary

enshittification

When a digital platform is made worse for users, in order to increase profits

Fanum tax

Taking someone else’s food; an Internet gibberish term

femboy

A young man presenting himself in a feminine way

fugazi

Fake, a phony; BS; messed up

glaze

to praise excessively

glow-up

A striking transformation in a person’s appearance; a makeover, a coming-of-age

grindset

Unrelenting self-dedication

gucci

Fancy, very fashionable, good

gyatt

A slang exclamation for admiring an attractive posterior

heliophysics

the scientific study of how the sun works and its effects on the solar system

high-key

Straight up, seriously, extremely

HMU

Hit me up

It's gonna be May

An annual Internet joke about Justin Timberlake and the start of May

IYKYK

'If you know, you know'

jawn

Philadelphia slang for any unspecified thing or person

Karen

Insulting term for a privileged, indignant, or discriminatory woman

kiki

A gossipy get-together; (to have) a lively chat

looksmaxxing

Efforts, sometimes extreme, young men take to look more attractive

lore

The history or backstory of a person, character, or imagined world

main character energy

Dramatic self-confidence; obtrusive self-importance

manosphere

Misogynistic male Internet groups; online media seen as promoting toxic masculinity

meme coin

A digital currency based on an Internet meme, usually thought to be of limited value.

mewing

A tongue technique purported to enhance one’s jaw and face

mlem

internet slang for an animal sticking its tongue out

mog

To look or perform far better than someone else

neckbeard

Unattractive facial hair around the neck; a slovenly computer nerd; a misogynistic Internet troll

Netflix and chill

To hook up romantically; to relax at home with a movie or TV

no cap

For real, seriously

Ohio

weird, awkward, cringeworthy

OK boomer

A sarcastic comeback to fogyish condescension

parasocial interaction

an interaction that leads an audience to feel personally close to someone famous

passenger princess

A woman chivalrously chauffeured by her partner

pick-me

Someone disingenuously seeking attention or approval; relating to such a person or behavior

polycule

A group of people in a polyamorous relationship

preppy

A cheery, sporty style popular among girls involving lots of pink; a girl who follows this style

💜 Purple Heart

A digital purple-colored heart expressing types of affection

ratchet

Trashy and disorderly, sometimes in a good way

ratio

to give more negative than positive responses on a social media post

rawdog

To do something hard or boring without any aid, preparation, or diversions

❤️ Red Heart

Various heart-shaped emoji expressing love, affection, and many other feelings

red-pilled

A leftist insult for delusional far-right beliefs; someone who has come to see the truth about the world

reheat nachos

to produce a lesser version of or poor tribute to an earlier song, album, etc.

reply guy

a habitual and often annoying replier on social media

ride or die

someone you would do anything for

rizz

Romantic appeal or charm

sanewashing

Making something considered ‘insane’ seem more ‘sane’

sigma

A coolly independent, successful man; excellent; an Internet nonsense word

situationship

When you’re more than friends but less than official

skibidi

A nonsense Internet term connected to an absurdist YouTube show about evil toilets

sleepmaxxing

The use of practices and devices purported to help increase the quality and quantity of sleep

slop

unwanted and unasked for AI-generated content

smol

Adorably small

stonks

Slang for “stocks” (shares in a company); an ironic remark on an amusingly mishandled situation, financial and otherwise

Sunday scaries

anxiety felt when the weekend is almost over

thicc

Curvaceous; burly; lovably large

torpedo bat

a baseball bat with a thicker-than-usual barrel

tradwife

A dutiful housewife active on social media

unc

A shortening of the word “uncle,” often used humorously to indicate old age

vibe coding

Writing computer code in a somewhat careless fashion, with AI assistance

webtoon

A digital comic scrolled vertically

WYLL

What you look like

yassify

to heavily edit an image with beauty filters

zoomies

A burst of frenetic running in dogs and cats; a bout of agitation or animation
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