The 20 Best New Slang Terms We Learned This Year
Slang Words 2017
It's not just you: 2017 saw a whole host of phrases enter the popular lexicon, and they weren't the texting abbreviations of yesteryear. (Reminder: "IDK, my BFF Jill?" just turned 10.) The kids these days are all about using existing words in increasingly strange ways, so if you know all of these terms, count yourself officially "snatched."
Aesthetic
Aesthetic usually appears in the context of high art (e.g., "the Cubist aesthetic"), but Instagram users now like to apply the same noun to their feeds and even people or moments that embody their "vibes."
Boots
The new way to add emphasis to absolutely anything is simple: Just sub in boots for an exclamation mark, à la vocalist Trodrick Hall's viral videos.
Canceled
Similar to the new usage of "over," canceled now applies to people and even an entire year, e.g., 2017 is canceled. It's like deleting someone or something from your life and moving on to bigger and better things.
Cat Person
No, not that kind of cat person. After Kristen Roupenian's short story for the New Yorker went viral, the internet couldn't stop talking about the cat people in their own lives. If you've ever experienced an uncomfortable romance gone wrong, congratulations, you have a cat person.
Extra
Not extra good or extra bad, just extra. This adjective now works as a synonym for over-the-top, with the same slightly negative connotation.
Fam
If you consider your friends as close as family, then it's not a stretch to call them your fam. And if you only stay tight with one bestie, she's your fam too.
Fire
Just like calling something "hot," fire (or the fire emoji) gets the same message across. New Beyoncé music? Straight fire ]]>??????
High Key
If you know low key, then you know high key. It's the antonym of on the down low. Example: You might high key love A Christmas Prince, and you don't care who knows it.
Instalebrity
Check your follower account. Anything upwards of the four-figure range might indicate you're an Instagram celebrity, a.k.a. Instalebrity.
Large Adult Son
According to the New Yorker, this internet meme originated a whopping five years ago with a since-deleted Twitter account. The phrase hit the mainstream in 2017 though, with the perfect embodiment being SNL's parodies of Eric and Donald Trump Jr.
Mom & Dad
It's not only parents that go by mom and dad these days. You can have a "mom" of your friend group (you know, the one who makes you put on sunscreen), or call any guy (or male celebrity) "dad."
OTP
Our current one true pairing of choice: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. They're everything the world needs - and would cause absolute devastation if they were to ever break up.
Receipts
If someone says they have receipts, they don't mean long scrolls of CVS coupons. Any evidence or proof of something shady - especially screenshots or saved Snapchats - counts.
Ship
Okay, it's not exactly new, but there's more couples than ever to ship these days. If you're as obsessed with Randall and Beth's relationship as the rest of This Is Us fans, you're officially shipping them.
Shook
Your teen might be shook if you start throwing this word around. It means surprised or shocked.
Snatched
Forget eyebrows on fleek. Dubbing something as snatched is the ultimate compliment.
Steph
Need to borrow an outfit? Ask your friend to steph you. It's the verb form of Kim Kardashian's former assistant, Stephanie Shepherd.
Sus
Short for "suspect," sus describes anything shady or suspicious. The side-eye emoji comes in handy here. ]]>??
Tea
When your friend asks you to spill the tea, she wants to know the gossip - so serve it!
Trash
Yes, trash can still imply worthlessness, or you could "trash"someone in a competition, but it's taken on yet another meaning now. Any diehard fan fits the bill of ___ trash.
It's not just you: 2017 saw a whole host of phrases enter the popular lexicon, and they weren't the texting abbreviations of yesteryear. (Reminder: "IDK, my BFF Jill?" just turned 10.) The kids these days are all about using existing words in increasingly strange ways, so if you know all of these terms, count yourself officially "snatched."