As if there wasn’t already enough to learn in order to master the art of speaking English, there exists an informal language of its own within this tricky tongue – The language of Slangs!
Here is the list of our favorite slangs you can start using in your chats or convos to make a connection with millennials and Gen Z. This is not a trend, it’s a culture and the guys at Oxford Dictionary must be cringing – add them to the next year’s addition or keep mum.
FOBO
Fear of better options / Fear of being offline.
FOMO
Fear of missing out.
FOJI
Fear of joining in.
WOKE
Urban Dictionary defines “woke” as being aware, and “knowing what’s going on in the community.” It also mentions its specific ties to racism and social injustice.
TFW
TFW is an abbreviation for “that feeling when” as in “TFW you have a hot cup of coffee in a quiet house.”
BROMO
When your ‘bros’ (friends) protect you from missing out.
JOMO
The joy of missing out.
Kiki
To kiki has a double meaning: either to celebrate, or to share gossip. For example -“Let’s Have a Kiki”
TBH
This is an acronym for to be honest. Often, it’s used for emphasis while admitting something about yourself. For example – “I really love Arjun Rampal, TBH “
Bae
The internet argues that this phrase is an acronym for “before anyone else” another way of describing that special someone.
G.O.A.T.
G.O.A.T. is an acronym for ‘greatest of all time’. Commonly referenced in sports, the term is traced back to boxer Muhammad Ali. Used in a sentence – “When it comes to cricket, Dhoni is the G.O.A.T.”
AF
AF simply stands for “as f*ck” and comes in handy as a way of emphasizing something.
Wig
“Wig” is a phrase used to refer to something that is amazing. It refers to the idea that what you saw was so amazing, and incited so much shock in you, that your wig flew off. For example – “Bieber posts a photo. Reply: “Wig!”
Lewk
“Lewk” is a variation of “look,” a signature physical trait, or a specially and carefully constructed outfit or appearance. “Did you see Saif’s Duryodhana lewk in the trailer?”
SALTY
Salty: To be “salty” is to be annoyed, upset, or bitter, usually about something minor. For example – “You look really salty right now. Kya hua?” reply – “I’m mad salty right now at Varun.”
Belfie
A “belfie” is a “butt selfie,” which is exactly what it sounds like. A lot of people on social media like to take these when their backend is looking particularly good, with or without clothing.
Adulting
Millennials needed to create a verb that described any and all duties associated with being a bona fide grown-up. For example – “I can’t believe I just spent this much time with my CA.” Reply “That’s adulting for ya, babes”
FB/LB
If you use Instagram and follow celebrities, you have surely seen a few “FB!” and “LB” messages in their comments sections. No, FB doesn’t mean Facebook. It actually means “follow back,” while LB means “like back.”
Peeps
Peeps is slang for friends. An example of peeps are the people that someone hangs out with all the time.
Whoja Vu
Whoja Vu is a feeling that you have met someone before when you are actually meeting that person for the first time.
ICYMI
this slang is an abbreviation of ‘in case you missed it’.
Snoozefeed
To scroll your newsfeed instead of getting out of bed – SNOOZEFEED
Zumping
Dumping someone over a zoom call – Zumping!!
Doomscrolling
Reading one articles and posts one after another – side effects of the lockdown. Now have a word to describe just that.
ZADDY
Zaddy is a man of a certain age that oozes sex appeal in his experience, and the swag is a killer.
A zaddy is not a MILF, although the terms do combine the same two elements: hotness and age. Often, zaddys have grey or silver hair, considered hot property and the fan base is across age groups.
SUH
Wussup is kinda outdated and brash. This is a combination of the word “sup” and “huh,” making you sound confused and interested at the same time.
Savage
Celebrity feuds are often described as “savage.” “Did you see the GIF of Salman khan rolling his eyes at Vivek Oberoi? Savage.”
Like fashion or pop music or cuisine, slangs are a great way to get a sense of another period and era. However over time, slangs either die out from lack of application as groups move on to new words and terminologies, or they may become so popular that they are absorbed into the common language.
This is how the urban language evolves over time – as new vocabularies are added to the dictionary, old ones disappear. Use them in your content or campaigns – maybe you can make a better connect with Millennials and GenZ.