If you want to feel old and unhip, stand amongst a crowd of Gen Z’ers and try to understand their cool-speak. Ready to feel REALLY old? Gen Z was born in the late 90s until about 2010. Many of these youngsters never knew dial-up. Their “oldies” are our beloved 80s and 90s tunes. They never bought CDs nor VHS tapes. They have always had email addresses and iPhones. Gen Z slang is here and it is A LOT.
Sorry, Millennials, you’re old now. Welcome to senior citizenship. And frankly, Generation Alpha is coming for you too, Gen Z, so look out. Soon, you too will be getting home by 10 so you can watch “Golden Girls” reruns before falling asleep within the swaddle of your weighted blanket.
So here we are, my friends, in year seven of this annual research study. Thanks to all who contributed. If I forgot your favorite word, drop it in the comments. I’m starting my notes for the next entry now.
AFK: Away from keyboard/inactive. That’s actually a handy acronym!
Aggressive: A lot. Like, “OMG, that was so aggressive, my dude. Tone it down.”
ASL: In “my day” ((insert old lady emoji)) this as online chat room slang for “age/sex/location?” Apparently now it’s shorthand for “as hell” which makes ZERO sense to me.
Ate: Basically means “they did that.”
Ayeee: What’s up?
Based: I had a hard time with this one. Normally, “based” means well-founded or correct; you’d call an opinion based if you agree with it, especially in political contexts. But be warned—ironic usage of “based” is also common, and it means the exact opposite. It’s normally used as a stand-alone reply to someone else’s statement, not as an in-sentence adjective.
Bot: Bad or weird. NOTHING to do with being a robot.
Bussin’: What you might say if something is really good such as “Yeah, her food be bussin’.”
Cause covid: I say this at least once a week BECAUSE COVID.
Choke-hold: You’re so obsessed with something, you can’t let it go. For example, “this lip gloss has me in a chokehold.”
Common L or Common W: Where the “W” refers to a “win” and the “L” a “loss,” a “common W” or “common L,” then, means to agree or disagree with something done or said.
Delulu: The colloquialism for “delusional,” the term “delulu” is often used in a romantic context when the person reads into the actions of their crush a little too much or creates an irrational fantasy.
Do One: Fuck off
Double click: Double click is a term meaning to place added emphasis or elaborate on a previously discussed point.
Eat/ate it up: If you ate it up, you probably left no crumbs! (And that term is further down!)
Era: Thanks to Taylor Swift, we all get this, right? But base-level, it is a time before you did something you no longer do now. So in this moment I am living my “Next Gen Slang Era.”
Fan cam: A fancam edit, often referred to as a “fan edit” or simply a “fancam,” is a video or compilation created by a fan (often called a “stan”) of a particular celebrity, musician, athlete, or public figure.
Flirt to roast ratio: You can probably figure this out but it’s popular in online dating platforms because the ideal relationship has a balanced “flirt-to-roast-ratio.” You flirt, you play.
Give us life: That thing (whatever it may be) is so amazing IT GIVES US LIFE! It. Is. GIVING.
Grinding: Unfortunately, this means playing a game for a long time, not the fun one…
Gyatt: A slang term for “god damn” and is usually said in response to seeing an attractive woman. Interestingly, the term was first used by Twitch streamers YourRage and Kai Cenat, who would say “gyatt” when an attractive female would appear on their streams.
Inflection point: When, proverbially speaking, shit hits the fan.
-ING: If you are doing well at something, add an “ing” to it, i.e., “I am mathing.” (For the record, I am never mathing.) You might also say “my brain is not braining today.”
It’s giving: Depending on context; if someone says “it’s giving” to you with nothing after it, then it means the person thinks you fine asl (see what I did there?). But it also applies to other nouns (looks good). If the person says it’s giving then adds something after it. then what they say after is what they think of the noun they’re talking about, i.e., “it’s giving a Beyonce circa 2010 vibe, but his friend is giving stalker vibes so idk.”
Leaving one on read: To read a text message from someone and intentionally not respond to them. (It refers to “read” receipt that shows the sender exactly when someone read their text.)
Left No Crumbs: Crushed it. You did that well — you “left no crumbs.”
Lit Sauce: The sauce that makes oneself lit — alcohol.
Love you down: This is a way of telling someone you would like to have sex with them. And if you are my age, you probably remember the song the expression came from.
Merch: Oh no! Not MERCHANDISE. Somehow this now subs in for “god.” You can say “on God,” but you might say “on Merch” instead.
Mid: Use to describe something that’s just average as in “that performance was just mid.”
Mother: Someone is “mother” if they’re an iconic feminine figure. It’s most often used to refer to pop stars, actresses, or other celebrities, but it can be applied in everyday life, too. And “mother” may be a feminine word, but the term can apply to any gender. On “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” the contestants often refer to RuPaul as “mother” or “mama,” for example.
My beloved: Fairly self-explanatory. A catchphrase used to describe people, animals, or things in a positive light. It shows love.
NGL: NOT-GONNA-LIE. Like, not even.
No notes: It is *chef kiss* – perfect. No notes!
Nom nom delish: Tasty, terrfic, top notch. Not necessarily relegated to food only.
Okk: You are “ok” but more. You are “okk.” Sometimes you are “oooookkkkk.”
On God: On God is a phrase which is a way of saying that someone is telling the truth. Similar to another phrase such as “I swear to God.” Other common uses are “On my mom,” “On my grandma,” “On my grandpa,” “On gang,” etc.
Out of pocket: Hold up, this does not mean you’re away from your desk, oldsters. For many of the younger generation, the phrase has evolved to mean something like “unhinged” or “chaotic,” to describe something done or said that is out-of-character or unexpected.
Plot: “Do it for the plot,” y’all. Take one for the team. Do it for the story. You know you’ve done it. Don’t lie.
Quiet quitting: Quiet quitting is when employees continue to put in the minimum amount of effort to keep their jobs, but don’t go the extra mile for their employer. Often a symptom of poor management.
Riz: “Riz” or “rizz” is short for charisma, particularly when it comes to flirting. If you have “rizz,” it means you’re smooth, or you’ve got game.
Rotted: Extremely pissed or unhappy with a situation; also can be used to describe being “tired” or “worn out.” Example: “I am so fucking rotted right now.”
s3ggs: A way to use the word “sex” online to evade filters. Reminds me of the “8008L355” pager days. #IYKYK
Same energy: Bringing the same energy means you resonate at the same frequency. That’s why they are some people with whom you click from the very first time.
Sent me: when something makes you laugh so hard it “sent you”. Think of people in a group running away because something is so funny.
Side eye: Serving judgement with a cynical sideways glance — eyes only! No head movement required.
Skinny legend: You do not have to be skinny to be described this way, for the record. It is a term of endearment for a celebrity whose fans consider them to be flawless and underappreciated.
Smashing: I don’t think this is very new — at least I was familiar with it. But it’s a “polite” verb to refer to two people engaged in… well, fucking.
So father: I *think* we’re talking about a Daddy moment here – and giving it praise.
Spammin: meaning you are try to contact/annoy a friend with many text messages.
Sussy baka: Sussy = Sus (Shorted) = Suspicious (Originally) / Baka (Japanese) = Fool (English)
Swerve: Get out of the way! “Oh shit. I need to use the bathroom. Swerve, bitch!”
That’s so big brain: High level smarts, y’all. That is just some next-level smart-person shit.
Two-man: A double date. As in, “I’m going on a two-man.”
v. : “Very.”
Vibing/Vibe: It’s an active mood or feeling. “It’s a vibe” or you are “vibing” on something.
You’re my son: A means to express you are above someone as a father might be to his son.
You’re selling or you’re throwing: You are deliberately trying to lose or you are just really bad at something.
For extra funsies, let’s all learn some fabulous British slang from Roy Fucking Kent (Brett Goldstein):
This is all in good fun and it is not at all my intent to offend. I just want to acknowledge, however, that it has been pointed out to me that a lot of the slang I have been explaining this year – and in years past – is appropriated from marginalized communities, i.e., the Queer community.
One final note: I love to see MY slang coming back around so please enjoy and use “rad” and “dope” at will.
OKAY, KIDS AND GROWN UPS, WHAT DID I GET WRONG? WHAT DID I MISS?
TELL ME IN THE COMMENTS SO I CAN ADD IT TO VOLUME VIII.
For previous editions, click: VOLUME I // VOLUME II // VOLUME III // VOLUME IV // VOLUME V // VOLUME VI
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