Attention, attention, this is your public service announcement of the day. The teenagers you see around you every day are not millennials.
While you were trying to get them off your lawn, millennials grew up, and the youngest are now on the wrong side of twenty, while the oldest are steadily approaching their forties.
So, if you want to get on with the times and learn new slang to be able to understand your teenager, Gen Z slang is probably what you are looking for.
Still, if your interest in millennial slang terms is purely *ahem* scientific, you’ve come to the right place. After all, the days when slang words were considered inappropriate to use in society are long gone.
Modern slang has firmly established itself in the way we speak and is nowadays considered somewhat of a norm.
For this article, we collected some of the most popular slang words millennials added to our daily language. Upvote the ones you like and actively use daily.
Are there any words on the list that you think should be banned from being used forever? Let us know in the comments.
And, of course, make sure you share this article with other linguistics enthusiasts. If you know other cool slang words and phrases, do share them with us in the comments.
#1
Bye, Felicia
If somebody won’t leave you alone, “Bye, Felicia” is a phrase to get them out of your face. It originates from the American comedy Friday (1995) and has a dismissive meaning.
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25points
#2
Doggo
Doggos (also known as dogs to those who do not speak this language) bork, blep, and sploot. They are also often described as floofs (fluffy), puppers (little), and boofers (loud). The childlike speech is intended to imitate how dogs would sound if they were able to communicate with their hoomans.
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24points
#3
Adulting
Adulting is anything that needs more than just putting cereal into a bowl, like paying taxes, doing laundry, and on some days, making a meal. The phrase originally surfaced on Twitter in 2008.
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21points
#4
Smol
This different version of the word “small” is used to describe anything very tiny and cute, like a puppy or a kitten. If the object you’re describing is particularly small, you can even say “smol bean.” Apparently, beans are a running theme in the millennial vernacular.
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19points
#5
Lit
For more than a century, the word “lit” has been slang for “intoxicated.” More recently, it has acquired the meaning of “exciting.” The new definition was introduced through rap.
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17points
#6
Ghosting
This word describes a situation unique to the generation as more of their dating activities shifted online. “Ghosting” refers to unexpectedly and abruptly ending contact with a person in your life.
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16points
#7
Woke
Used to describe sensitivity and attention towards universal issues of concern, such as racial or social injustice, it can sometimes be used ironically for people who turn everything into a point of offense.
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16points
#8
Hangry
Many of us have experienced this feeling before: being extremely hungry and getting worse with each passing second. You’re becoming more upset, irritable, and angry as a result of your hunger. The answer to it—you are hangry.
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16points
#9
Bruh
A universal answer to literally anything, it’s another way of saying “Seriously?” Used to express a variety of emotions, including joy, sorrow, despair, rage, fear, sleepiness, disgust, approval, disapproval, confusion, and many more!
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15points
#10
Trolls
Trolling is the act of provoking, manipulating or annoying someone by posting offensive comments online. This is often done for the troll’s entertainment or to achieve a specific goal, such as interfering with a rival’s online activity or deliberately upsetting or hurting other people.
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15points
#11
Flex
When you choose to establish your dominance through your achievements or special skills instead of showing off your muscles, you’re flexing. “Weird flex but OK” is used in response to a boast that is regarded as peculiar.
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14points
#12
Throwing shade
Meaning “to make subtle mean comments about someone,” the phrase “throw shade” has been used for a while, but it gained enormous popularity after the 2010 RuPaul’s Drag Race recaps used it to characterize a competition of epic takedowns.
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14points
#13
Stan
The term alludes to the Eminem song “Stan.” The term applies to a particularly extreme, enthusiastic, and devoted fan of a celebrity, band, or cast of a TV show or movie.
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14points
#14
Bounce
To leave suddenly and go somewhere else or do something better.
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14points
#15
IRL
IRL stands for “in real life,” indicating that we’re not talking about the digital lives we conduct online but rather about our regular, daily lives. The term “IRL” first appeared in the early years of the internet when people perceived a need to distinguish between online and offline activity.
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14points
#16
Basic
The term “basic” became popular among millennials as a derogatory term to describe someone (often a woman) who follows stale, worn-out trends. This referred to UGG boots, yoga pants, and pumpkin spice lattes in the 2010s.
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13points
#17
Goals
A desired object, a relationship, or someone’s accomplishment is referred to as “goals” in slang. It is more frequently used as an adjective than a noun, and often with a hashtag.
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13points
#18
Sus
A short form of “suspicious,” it came into mainstream use through the online multiplayer whodunit game Among Us, in which one player is covertly given the role of an impostor trying to undermine the crewmates. While everyone is trying to identify the impostor, all players seem sus.
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12points
#19
Slay
“Slay” means “killing it” or succeeding. Anything from an achievement in your line of work to looking stunning in a new dress qualifies, but especially when it comes to fashion, artistic performance, or self-confidence.
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12points
#20
Squad
A squad is a close group of friends, much like a clique, who engage in a variety of activities together. It is frequently used to describe photos of best buddies on Snapchat, Facebook, or Instagram.
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12points