Social media has become an inseparable part of our lives. These social platforms, which are actively used at every moment of the day, evolve much more quickly than the English spoken in daily life or written texts. For this reason, the language of social media continues to develop constantly with its abbreviations, unique expressions, and new terms. Today, we will explore some English social media slang together.
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Acronyms & Abbreviations Used in Social Media
These words are generally formed from the first letters of words, and their purpose is to move away from standard everyday English to create more practical written language that is consumed more quickly.
| English Abbreviations | Stands For |
|---|---|
| AI | Artificial Intelligence |
| AKA | Also Known As |
| AMA | Ask Me Anything |
| ASMR | Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response |
| ATP | At This Point |
| BAE | Before Anyone Else |
| B4 | Before |
| BFR | Be For Real |
| BRB | Be Right Back |
| BTW | By The Way |
| DM | Direct Message |
| DIY | Do It Yourself |
| F2F | Face To Face |
| FOMO | Fear Of Missing Out |
| FR | For Real |
| FYP | For You Page |
| FYI | For Your Information |
| GIF | A Looping Image |
| GOAT | Greatest Of All Time |
| GR8 | Great |
| GRWM | Get Ready With Me |
| GYAT | An Attractive Person |
| HMU | Hit Me Up |
| IB | Inspired By |
| IDC | I Do Not Care |
| IDK | I Do Not Know |
| IG | |
| IKR | I Know, Right? |
| IRL | In Real Life |
| IYKYK | If You Know You Know |
| ISTG | I Swear To God |
| JK | Just Kidding |
| LMK | Let Me Know |
| LMS | Like My Status |
| NBD | No Big Deal |
| NGL | Not Gonna Lie |
| NPC | Non-Playable Character |
| NSFW | Not Safe For Work |
| NVM | Nevermind |
| OG | Original Gangster |
| OMW | On My Way |
| OOTD | Outfit Of The Day |
| OOMF | One Of My Followers |
| PFP | Profile Picture |
| POV | Point Of View |
| POTD | Photo Of The Day |
| RN | Right Now |
| TBH | To Be Honest |
| TBF | To Be Fair |
| TMI | Too Much Information |
| TIME | Tears In My Eyes |
| TTYL | Talk To You Later |
| TW | Trigger Warning / Twitter |
| W | Win |
| WBU | What About You? |
| YT | White |
| POC | People Of Colour |
| WLW | Women Loving Women |
| MLM | Men Loving Men |
Social Media Slang
In social media English, abbreviations usually keep the same meaning. Their goal is simply to write faster and more practically. However, social media slang can change the meanings of words.
| Slang | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Aesthetic | The way something looks cool and authentic |
| Ate | Doing something great |
| Aura | The energy or the vibe a person gives off |
| Aura farming | Intentionally trying to look cool in social settings |
| Banger | A great song or thing |
| Beige flag | Mundane, a neutral trait |
| Benching | Keeping someone as a backup option |
| Bet | Okay, agreed. |
| Boujee | Luxurious, acting upper-class |
| Boyfriend air | Looking messy after spending time with a boyfriend |
| Breadcrumbing | Leading someone on with minimal attention |
| Cap | A lie |
| Cooked | Exhausted, mentally or physically done |
| Cringe | Embarrassing, awkward |
| Cuffing season | Wanting a relationship during the fall and winter |
| Delulu | A delusional, hyper-dreamer, unrealistic person |
| DTR(Define The Relationship) | Clarifying the status of a relationship |
| Dry texting | Sending dull, short, and uninteresting messages |
| Fax, no printer | Absolutely true |
| Gate keeping | Intentionally not giving information |
| Ghosting | Cutting off communication without explanation |
| Girl math | Justifying spending in a playful way and in girl’s perspective |
| Girlypop | Very feminine, energetic girl |
| Glow up | Improving physically, mentally, or stylistically |
| Haunting | Checking someone’s social media after ghosting them |
| Hard launching | Publicly announcing a relationship |
| Hate stalking | Constantly following someone you do not like on social media |
| Highkey | Openly and clearly |
| Ick | A sudden feeling of attraction turns into disgust |
| Innit | British slang for “isn’t it?” |
| Lit | Very fun, exciting, or amazing |
| Lowkey | Secretly, not in an open way |
| Love bombing | Showing extreme affection in an early stage of a relationship |
| Mansplaining | Men explaining something to women, but they assume women are ignorant |
| Mewing | A facial/tongue posture technique to define the jawline |
| Micro-cheating | Behaviors that cross relationship boundaries without full cheating |
| Micro retirement | Taking short breaks from work throughout life |
| Mid | Average |
| Okay boomer | Old-fashioned views |
| Parasocial | A one-sided emotional connection |
| Performative male | A man who acts Feminist/woke only for show |
| Periodt | “That’s it.”,end of discussion, emphasis |
| Pocketing | Hiding a partner from others |
| Rizz | Charisma, flirting skills |
| Salty | Bitter, passive-aggressive |
| Savage | Someone who is fierce, tough, brutally honest, but impressive |
| Ship | Wanting two people to be together |
| Shreked | Being in a bad state, dating below one’s standards |
| Side eye | A judgmental look |
| Simp | Someone who shows extreme devotion or admiration |
| Situationship | An undefined, unclear relationship |
| Soft launching | Hinting at the relationship without a formal announcement |
| Stan | To be an extreme fan of someone or something |
| Sus | Suspicious |
| Take | An opinion or viewpoint |
| Tea | Gossip |
| Tradwife | A woman promoting traditional housewife roles |
| Woke | Socially and politically aware |
| Y/n | “Your name”, used in fanfiction for reader self-insertion |
Frequently Asked Questions About Social Media Slang
Let’s look at some questions asked about social media slang.
Do these terms have fixed meanings?
Not always. Some slang terms evolve quickly and may gain new meanings over time or across different online platforms.
Is it okay to use slang in formal writing?
No. Social media slang is best used in casual conversations, online posts, or messaging. It should be avoided in academic, professional, or formal writing.
What does “dry texting” mean?
Dry texting means sending short, uninterested, or emotionless messages that show little effort in a conversation.
Are abbreviations the same as slang?
Not exactly. Abbreviations are shortened words, but slang can change or add new meanings to words.
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