75 Millennial Slang Terms It’s Still Not Too Late To Learn

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

Bounce

To leave suddenly and go somewhere else or do something better.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.