Say what? The most baffling slang terms of each generation

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Say what? The most baffling slang terms of each generation.

The words and phrases people use in casual conversation are a dead giveaway for the generation they’re a part of. Whether it’s “gnarly” or “6-7,” the slang that sneaks into your everyday life reveals a little something about your true identity. 

Slang is a pillar of every culture, and it can evolve. It has always been a part of the human experience, and it’s present with all generations. It can even be the linguistic glue that holds contemporaries together. However, some slang terms are outright baffling. Spokeo broke down the most interesting slang terms of Gen Alphas, Gen Zers, millennials, Gen Xers, and baby boomers.

Gen Alpha: The brain-rot generation

Nonsensical phrases are the hallmark of Gen Alphas, kids born between 2010 and 2024. Looking closely, however, Gen Alpha slang has just as much context as any other generation.

• “6-7”: 6-7 is the most recent slang phrase that has seemed to confuse and upset older generations. But as an NPR “It’s Been a Minute” podcast episode describes, 6-7 doesn’t really mean anything at all. It’s almost an inside joke between kids, a “if you know, you know.” It’s a trend to repeat these numbers and make a comparative gesture with the hands.
• “Rizz”: Rizz is a bit more intuitive. It’s a shortened version of “charisma.” If someone has rizz, it means they have romantic appeal or charm, according to Merriam-Webster.
• “Ohio”: Forbes reports that using Ohio as a slang term became popular in the summer of 2024, when people started posting video clips of weird things that happened in Ohio. Like “Florida man,” “Ohio” refers to a person or event that’s weird and bizarre.

Gen Z: The social media addicts

Gen Zers, those born between 1997 and 2009, grew up with social media right in their pockets. As a result, much of their cultural slang was developed, popularized, and spread through online content.

• “Bet”: Bet has a long origin in Black American English. It likely stemmed from longer phrases like “you bet,” or “you can bet on it,” according to Merriam-Webster. It’s been universally adopted by all Gen Z cultures after gaining prominence on social media in the early 2020s.
• “Cringe”: Cringe is used to describe a thing or person that is “cringy.” It denotes awkwardness and describes the physical reaction a person’s face or body might have to witnessing something that is socially uncomfortable.
• “NPC”: As Today describes, NPC, or “nonplayable character,” is a video game term Gen Z uses to call people boring or uninteresting. An NPC is an entity in a video game that is not controlled by anyone, a background character who doesn’t add much to the story.

Millennials: The avocado toast generation

Millennials, born between 1981 and 1996, witnessed the widespread adoption of the internet firsthand. As a result, this generation is strongly bound by references and slang terms that have evolved from media and digital trends.

• “Salty”: Picture the characteristics of salt. Coarse and maybe even a little bitter. Millennials have adopted the term salty to describe someone who exhibits these characteristics, often after someone gets upset.
• “Clap Back”: Merriam-Webster defines clap back clearly: a witty comeback to criticism. This slang became popularized after Ja Rule’s 2003 song “Clap Back.”
• “Woke”: Millennials became adults in an age of social justice. Woke originated in Black culture and describes a person who is informed and educated about social equality, according to ABC News. However, it’s also been used pejoratively to describe people seen as overly focused on these social issues.

Gen X: The latchkey kids

Gen X, born between 1965 and 1980, raised themselves independently, often going home from school with their own set of keys, earning the nickname latchkey kids. This independence gave rise to a flurry of unique slang terms that the entire age group came to understand.

• “Take a chill pill”: This slang is a reference to anti-anxiety medications that were common during the benzodiazepine era of the 1970s and 1980s. This phrase was used to tell people to calm down.
• “Gnarly”: The use of gnarly began with surfers in the 1970s to describe challenging waves. It was later picked up by popular culture in the early 80s and used to describe anything dangerous, disgusting, and exciting, according to Etymonline.
• “Yuppie”: A word that’s used to describe the young, urban, professional people of the 1980s who were often seen as affluent and successful. Investopedia mentions that it can be used derogatorily.

Baby boomers: The far-out folks

Boomers, born between 1945 and 1964, were the groovy generation, born during the hippie era. Their slang is often used to redescribe ordinary events with flair. Today, these terms seem like they’re straight out of Hollywood, but for boomers, they’re a part of everyday vernacular.

• “Right on”: Right on was used regularly by baby boomers as a way of saying they agreed with something.
• “Dig it”: Dig it was used when a baby boomer liked or approved of something. For example, if they thought a song sounded cool, they might say, “I dig that song.”
• “Groovy”: Groovy is one of the most iconic slang words of this generation. It’s a direct product of the hippies and the psychedelic music scene at the time. As the Bozeman Daily Chronicle describes, “groovy” was adapted from musicians who used to say “in the groove.” For baby boomers, it means excellent or fine.

Generations change, but slang is here to stay

Slang words are used by culture to simultaneously bring people together and alienate them. Those who know and use the words are accepted by peers. Those who don’t are left out, forced to mingle amongst their own generation.

Society will continue to birth new generations, but one thing is certain. Slang is going nowhere. Try to keep up.

This story was produced by Spokeo and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.