OK, boomers — it’s time to get fluent in Gen Z.
The younger generation’s head-scratching lingo is befuddling elder coworkers as it seeps into Slack channels and Team chats across the nation.
Born between the years of 1997 and 2012, Zoomers have shaken up the corporate world by introducing their chronically online colloquialisms in the workplace, prompting the uninitiated to surf the web for a definition.
In the US, Google searches for “Gen Z slang” are up 123% and curiosity about “Gen Z words” has increased by 86%, according to data from communication and growth firm Movchan Agency.
“It’s truly amazing how our generation has developed its unique vernacular, incorporating phrases and emojis that have become widely recognized slang around the globe,” the agency’s PR manager, Emily Goldstein, said in a statement.
Now, a class in Zoomer-speak is in session.
Commonly used to describe someone’s appearance or accomplishment, “slay” is derived from the LGBTQ+ ballroom scene but has been adopted into the mainstream most notably by way of Beyoncé’s iconic hit “Formation,” in which she says, “I slay all day.”
Example: “Your outfit slays.”
Along that same vein, “to serve” — in other words, to serve a look — refers to looking good.
Example: “She’s serving in those shoes.”
Short for “duplicate,” the term “dupe” is commonly used to describe an alternate option, typically a more affordable version of cosmetics or clothing.
Online, Gen Zers share their “dupes,” or knock-offs, for designer products they otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford.
Example: “This Target purse is a Gucci dupe.”
If someone was wearing low-rise jeans, they’d be “giving” early 2000s. In other words, “giving” means to emulate, and is often used as a comparison. In some instances, it can be used as a
Example: “Her red lipstick is giving Taylor Swift.”
Short for “charisma,” a suave bachelor whose natural charm successfully woos women would be said to have “rizz.” Maybe they’re not the hottest hunk in the room — or maybe they are — but their effortless flirtation somehow works.
Example: “Pete Davidson dates beautiful women — he must have rizz.”
Flippantly nicknaming a “mental breakdown” as “menty b” somehow softens the blow of the freak-out and, in part, normalizes mental health struggles through veiled humor.
Example: “I’ve had three menty b’s this month.”
The colloquialism for “delusional,” the term “delulu” is often used in a romantic context when the person reads into the actions of their crush a little too much or creates an irrational fantasy.
Example: “He smiled at me, he must like me.” “You’re being delulu.”
In brief: “Sus” is short for “suspicious.”
Example: “That milk smells sus, throw it out.”
“Side eye” is a way to vocalize judgment, referring to the action of giving someone a critical side eye for something they said or a decision they made.
Example: “You don’t like Taylor Swift? Side eye.”
Meaning that something is good, “slap” is commonly used to describe things like delicious food or incredible music.
Example: “This pizza slaps.”
You send a meme to your team’s group chat and the Zoomer says it’s “sending” them. Really, they mean something is laugh-out-loud hilarious.
Example: “This photo of my dog in a Halloween costume is sending me.”
When the “brain isn’t braining,” then something doesn’t logically add up or isn’t understandable. (See also: the math isn’t mathing.)
Example: “I’m too tired to understand what you just said. My brain isn’t braining.”
Where the “W” refers to a “win” and the “L” a “loss,” a “common W” or “common L,” then, means to agree or disagree with something done or said.
Example: “He calls it Taylor Ham and not pork roll? Common John L.”
If “cap” is lying, then “no cap” is not lying, or “no lie,” usually in the context of saying something genuine.
The phrase, like many other Gen Z slang terms, is derived from AAVE, or African American Vernacular English.
Example: “I’m so happy for you, no cap.”
For the chronically online generation, a picture — or in this case, emoji — speaks louder than 1,000 slang words.
???? — slay
???? — laughing to death
???? — conveys passive-aggressive tone
???????????? — utter shock
???? — smiling through the pain of a bad day
???? — doing or saying something foolish
“While slang isn’t a new phenomenon within subcultures, Gen Z’s slang stands out for its versatility and widespread usage worldwide,” said Goldstein, whose use of slang words in the office is a reminder to embrace silliness.
“This slang is so authentic at its core that other non-Gen-A people become more relaxed whenever I use it,” she added. “It puts them off guard.”