Some people are having trouble understanding this new generation of kids. But, don’t be quick to blame them! Sometimes, modern slang can be as confusing as it is hilarious. Other times, it can simply be annoying and unnecessary.
Now, unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years, you’ve probably heard most of the modern slang examples I have on my list. But do you know what they mean?
Whether you’re a confused Baby Boomer, a late-to-the-party Millennial, or just an out of touch Gen Zer, here are the best modern slang terms that you simply have to know.
45 Best Modern Slang Expressions Explained
Funniest Modern Slang that Will Make You LOL
#1. “Ya basic!” — If you like pumpkin spice lattes and wear brown knee-high boots with blue jeans in the fall, I have some bad news. Ya just might be basic. Basic is the term a lot of kids use to describe someone who’s really into mainstream things.
#2. “Receipts” — Receipts are proof, simple as that. What’s more, in the modern era of the internet, you can’t claim anything if you don’t have the receipts (screenshots, texts, pics, or anything similar) to prove it.
#3. “Bye Felicia” — A sassy way to dismiss someone. However, this isn’t exactly the most recent of slang terms, as it’s one of Ice Cube’s lines from the 1995 movie Friday. But, Gen Zers have appropriated it, so, what can you do?
#4. “OTP” — One true pairing. If you’re emotionally invested in a couple (real or fictional), then they are your OTP.
#5. “Stan” — If you stan someone, that means you’re a fan.
#6. “Snatched” — One of the many terms that originated in the LGBTQ+ community, snatched means that something looks good or amazing.
#7. “Gucci” — Hearing kids on the street shout out the name of the famous brand might be confusing if you don’t know that Gucci actually means “good.”
#8. “Keep it 100” — Keep it real, keep it good.
#9. “Swole” — Well-built people (usually men) are swole.
#10. “Can’t even” — When you cannot handle something, then you “can’t even.”
#11. “Hangry” — When you’re so hungry you get angry, then you’re “hangry.” Yeah, kids are really into expressing themselves in a few words.
Weirdest Modern Slang That Will Make You Go “Huh?”
#12. “Turnt” — Someone who’s turnt is brimming with excitement.
#13. “Ghosting” — If you’ve never been ghosted, good for you. But if you had a significant other stop all communication and pretend like you don’t exist, then you’ve been ghosted. It sucks, I know.
#14. “Tea” — Gossip. Also, spilling the tea means gossiping or sharing what you know.
#15. “Hundo P” — A shorter way of saying one hundred percent.
“Do you think they are messing around?”
“Hundo P!”
#16. “JOMO” — The opposite of the “fear of missing out” is JOMO — the joy of missing out.
#17. “Shipping” — Closely related to OTP. So, if you ship your OTP, that means you want them to be together.
#18. “Bruh” — A variation of “bro” and universal response to virtually anything.
#19. “Phubbing” — Ignoring someone in favor of your phone.
Most Popular Modern Slang
#20. “AF” — AF stands for “as f*ck,” which is a great way to emphasize something. For example, “They think they are smooth AF.”
#21. “Savage” — When you’re savage, you have the best responses to anyone sassing you, and you don’t care what others think of you.
#22. “Woke” — An ungrammatical version of “awake” that stands for “aware.” When you’re aware and knowledgeable about current issues in the world, and PC about them, then you’re “woke.”
#23. “Mood” — When you hear kids respond to something with “mood” that means they feel the same way. Confusing? Yes. Effective? Also yes.
#24. “Salty” — If you’re salty, then you’re angry or upset over something. I’m salty because my ex keeps posting pics with my recent replacement. Go figure.
#25. “Thirsty” — Thirsting for someone means thinking they are hot or attractive.
#26. “Lit” — Lit means amazing, cool, or great, but it can also mean high or drunk.
#27. “Hunty” — Another way of saying “honey.”
#28. “Beat” — Tired or uncool. However, “beat” can also mean to make up if you’re “beating your face.”
Modern Slang That Will Leave You “Shook”
#29. “Girlfriend tax” — When your girlfriend says she’s not hungry but ends up eating half your food? That’s the girlfriend tax.
#30. “Damn, Gina!” — A catchphrase from the sitcom “Martin.” When you’re surprised, annoyed, or appreciative of something, you can respond with this slang term.
#31. “Shook” — When something surprises you (good or bad), it can leave you shook.
#32. “Clap back” — When someone claps at you (criticizes you), you really need to clap back and give them a piece of your mind.
#33. “Gassed” — When you’re very excited or happy.
#34. “Skrt” — Do you know the sound that tires make when you slam the breaks? It’s skrt. Well, if you say it several times in a high-pitched tone, you can indicate stopping (of the conversation or anything else).
#35. “No cap” — When you’re being truthful, you can emphasize it by saying “no cap.”
#36. “Clock” — When you clock something someone else wants to hide, it means you’ve noticed it.
#37. “GOAT” — An acronym that stands for “greatest of all time.”
#38. “TFW” — An acronym of “that feeling when.”
#39. “Narrative” — Taylor Swift famously said “I want to be excluded from this narrative” way back in 2016. Thus, a new meme and slang term were born. So, if you don’t want to be part of a conversation, you can borrow TayTay’s words.
The Best of Millennial Modern Slang
#40. “Bae” — A term of endearment, short for “before anyone else.”
#41. “Gagging” — If you’re gagged, you’re delighted. Also, if you’re gagging over something or someone, you think they or it are amazing.
#42. “Shade” — If you disrespect someone in a sassy way, you’re throwing shade.
#43. “Slay” — When I do something particularly well, my friends will often follow up with the word “slay.”
#44. “Adulting” — Doing something that’s normal and expected in adulthood is apparently a huge deal for Gen Zers. That’s why they exclaim “adulting” while doing it.
#45. “Ratchet” — Ratchet used to mean “wretched.” However, today, you can use this as a term of empowerment.
To Conclude
So there you have it — the most common, popular, or weird modern slang phrases I know. Hopefully, this list of modern slang terms and their explanations will help you understand what the kids (and a lot of adults) around you are saying. Sure, some of them are way too strong or out there for us adults to use. But, hey, at least now you’ll know what they mean, right?
Image Source: Slang by Delete– Under Creative Commons License
