DL's Slang Dictionary: Youth Terminology Decoded

I have a fascination with slang. I think it is so hardcore that we can, as a community, just latch on to a certain made up term until it becomes so widely used that the official dictionary is forced to include it. The evolution of language is very fascinating to me and really funny. Like so many of our words were not words at all at one point. And we have that power! So, that being said, I am well aware that it's people my age who are at the forefront of creating and steamrolling the usage of slang, and the slang we're using changes all the time. Last year's slang is now nearly obsolete or tacky (think "on fleek", "legit"-- these terms that were once cutting edge that now people give you the side eye when you use them because they've fallen out of favor). So I've compiled a list of what I have personally observed to be the current slang, along with definitions and examples, all for your benefit-- so you can know what on earth these kids are talking about!

Now, there may be haters out there who are like "um, some of that isn't that current" or "um, I've never heard anybody say that". To you I say listen, this is based on my own personal observations. I'm not a super "cool" person, so I'm sure there's up and coming slang that people out there in the twittersphere are using that I am not a party to at all, and therefore not knowledgeable enough about to include in my personal glossery. Conversely, as I am not a "cool" person, and I hang around with other friends who aren't necessarily as up on the coolest new trends as some people out there might be, some of the slang that we regularly use even to this day might not be as relevant. For example, I do have friends who still say "on fleek", despite the term not making much of an appearance since mid last year. I've tried to steer away from outdated slang as much as possible, but I'm sure that I'm just not cool enough to have necessarily weeded out all the words that are apparently not that popular anymore.

And one last thing: not all slang words are very appropriate. Just a warning. I don't necessarily use all of these slang terms, but other people definitely do. I try to steer away from the more profane ones, but since they definitely define the current slang atmosphere, I have included them nonetheless. Anyway, all that disclaimer aside, here is the list I have compiled for you.

A

AF
(stands for "as f**k)
descriptive interjection
: an interjection that describes something as being to a very great degree; extremely;
"The movie Testament of Youth is boring AF."











D

Daddy
noun
: an older man who is very attractive or one's boyfriend
"Not going to lie, Paul Hollywood from The Great British Baking Show is kind of a daddy." or "I find it gross and unsettling when girls call their boyfriend daddy. Ew."
(Variant: Zaddy. The term zaddy was popularized by Ty Dolla $ign and Zayn Malik. It refers particularly to an attractive and very stylish man, and doesn't necessarily have to refer to a man who is older.)








E

Extra
adjective
: excessive, unnecessary, and over the top, often to the point of being annoying
"Posting a two paragraph update about your infant on social media every week is so extra."











H

Hunty
noun, exclamation
:like "honey" with a "t" in the middle, used for a particularly glamorous person, or someone who is being extra (can be related to last year's slang term "queen")
"When Lucy came out with wearing knee high gogo boots, I was like 'hunty, stop it'."




I

I am living
exclamation
: used to express a feeling of great happiness
"I'm at the beach right now and I am living!!"





I'm dead/I'm dying
exclamation
: used when something is extremely funny (and LOL or haha aren't strong enough)
"My dog just farted on my brother, oh my goodness I'm dead."







It's a look/lewk
exclamation
:used to describe an article of clothing, an outfit, makeup, or a hairstyle that looks really fabulous and pulled together-- often an ensemble that is a bit unexpected
"When Sharon said she was dying her hair blue and green, I was a little wary, but honestly, it's a look!"








L

Low key
adverb
:used to denote a sense of surprise or guilty pleasure in liking, enjoying, or approving of something, similar to the way some might use the word "actually"
"I'm low key obsessed with Kpop..."














M

Me
exclamation
:a way of expressing that you relate to something, similar to 2017's favorite phrase "same"
*A girl who thinks her life is a mess sees an overflowing trashcan* girl: "me"
















My aesthetic
noun
:used to describe a theme, color scheme, or elements of design that one finds particularly pleasing, and relates to
"The store Lush, with all their all natural hippie skin care products and dark colors is my aesthetic."









S

Shook
adjective
:extremely surprised or shocked, and sometimes scared
"When my mom knew the words to a Justin Bieber song, I was shook!"













Sis
noun
:the modern equivalent to "bro", gender neutral term used for anyone
"Wow sis, you are looking fiiiine today!"













Slide in DMs
verb
:to hit on someone via social media by sending them a direct message out of the blue
"If I start dating someone because they slid into my DMs, please slap me."









Snack

noun
:used when someone is looking extremely good or attractive
"The lifeguard at the lake was looking like a snack today."
(variant: snacc)









Snatched
adjective
:also used when someone is looking extremely good or attractive
"Oh my goodness, look at that outfit, you are looking snatched!!!"







T

Thicc/Thick
adjective
:a positive descriptor used to describe individuals with meat on their bones, gender neutral term used for anyone
"Thank goodness I'm thicc because it's all the rage right now!"
(variant: skinny thicc, slim thicc-- these denote individuals who may have a big butt or big chest but is still considered skinny overall)



V

Vine compilation
noun
:a YouTube video containing a large amount of 7 second videos from the defunct app "vine", often humorous, often with hilarious titles such as "Vines that water crops and cleanse my skin".
"I can't wait for our sleepover, we're going to watch so many vine compilations!"



So there you have it! Like I said, I'm sure I missed some, but these are a lot of the big ones that I hear floating around all the time and that I'm sure people like my parents may be shaking their heads in confusion about what they mean. Hopefully you learned something new, or just got to read through a list of some of your favorite slang terms that are hot right now.

VaughnDL