Are you constantly rolling your eyes at the latest lingo being thrown around by millennials? From ridiculous acronyms to baffling slang, it seems like every other word out of their mouths is designed to make you go “huh?!”
We’ve all witnessed the struggle of attempting to understand millennial code. One second you think you’ve finally cracked phrases like “lit” and “slay,” and the next you’re blindsided by some bizarre new saying that depletes your last reserves of cool. It’s a endless cycle of eavesdropping, head-scratching, and wondering how they come up with this stuff!
We’re rounding up 15 of the most annoying, confusing, and just plain silly millennial phrases that have everyone clutching their pearls. Get ready to laugh, groan, and maybe even admit to using some of these cringeworthy linguistics crimes yourself (no judgment here!).
“I can’t even…” (Meaning: A flustered expression of being overwhelmed or stunned)
This over-the-top phrase is millennial shorthand for “I’m so overwhelmed/stunned/speechless that I can’t even formulate a coherent response.”
Whether deployed after an epic fail or juicy gossip, it hints at utter exasperation while still leaving you hanging. Gotta love those dramatic pauses for effect.
“Adulting” (Meaning: To carry out adulthood responsibilities and chores)
Leave it to millennials to transform routine tasks like laundry and paying bills into a verbiage event. Using “adulting” as a verb somehow makes young adults feel newly accomplished for handling basic life demands prior generations simply called…living. It’s cheeky yet simultaneously pitiful.
“Salty” (Meaning: Bitter, angry, agitated)
Rather than simply expressing resentment, millennials have co-opted this snack food descriptor to label anyone being testy or throwing shade.
It’s a flavorful way to convey pique, referring to someone’s disagreeable “salty” attitude rubbing you wrong. But why make communicating so complicated?
“Shade” (Meaning: To insult, throw shade at, or diss someone)
Speaking of shade, here’s a straightforward example of the opposite. Instead of actually accusing someone of rudeness, the diss itself gets repackaged as just throwing “shade” on them. It’s a sassier, more euphemistic way for millennials to call out cringeworthy behavior while sidestepping confrontation.
“Low-key” (Meaning: Subtly, secretly, without drawing attention)
When millennials describe laying low, they skip “incognito” or “discreet” in favor of the more chill and coded “low-key.” Somehow this expression aimed at downplaying has become a mainstream way to humbly acknowledge staying under-the-radar or playing it cool in the moment. It’s also an overused crutch.
“Slay” (Meaning: To perform extraordinarily well, to succeed)
Remember when this term exclusively applied to mythical dragon-slaying heroes or villains? Thanks to millennial vernacular repurposing, “slaying” now indicates flawless performance in everything from sartorial domination to acing exams. But somehow it still sounds menacingly violent when cheering someone on.
“Thirsty” (Meaning: Desperate, overeager, trying too hard)
Rather than calling out overt clinginess or relentless advances, young folks today have rebranded such pursuits as simply being “thirsty.”
Because constantly hounding someone with attention definitely aligns with the concept of desperate dehydration. Creepy and judgmental in one convenient word!
“Lit” (Meaning: Incredible, amazing, wildly successful)
It’s both ironic and sad that “lit” – initially slang for being intoxicated or high – has persisted as a go-to term for anything noteworthy.
We get it, saying something is “lit” packs more youth cred than “groovy” or “bad.” But glamorizing substance abuse as the epitome of excitement? Not a great look.
“Clap back” (Meaning: Issue a sharp comeback or response, often on social media)
Instead of simply standing up for themselves, millennials “clap back” at online trolls and haters with no-holds-barred snark and sass. The violent imagery of literal clapping just feels unnecessarily aggressive for arguing – especially given that most clapbacks are just rapid-fire insult bombs.
“Receipts” (Meaning: Evidence to support a claim or story, usually provided via screenshots)
In millennial lingo, “receipts” prove credibility the same way physical purchase receipts validate legitimate transactions. That’s all well and good for shutting down doubters. But this ledger-inspired term kind of sounds like unnecessarily complicating the concept of proof with paperwork.
“Netflix and chill” (Meaning: Hooking up)
Once this coded term for casual promiscuity gained widespread notoriety, it lost all semblance of subtlety. Now the phrase is so overused and transparent that it simply advertises one’s lack of creativity in trying to sound coy about physical intimacy. Time to permanently shelve this one.
“Slide into the DMs” (Meaning: To initiate private flirtatious/romantic conversation via direct messages on social media)
Even if you grasp the meaning here, this term coined by the social-savvy generation sounds like some bizarre hip metaphor taken to an uncomfortable extreme.
Why introduce jerky motions and crude innuendos into what could simply be described as starting a private chat? Leave smooth moves to the experts.
“Spill the tea” (Meaning: To share or reveal juicy gossip)
While the emergence of this expression possibly related to historical forms of venting over tea, its current popularity does little more than showcase millennial desperation for culturally hollow slang. Who would have pegged such a genteel beverage for celebrity trash talk and rumor-mongering?
“Throwing shade” (Meaning: To subtly put someone down or insult them)
This phrase takes the backhanded compliment game to truly mystifying heights. Not only does it reframe disses as some hazy “shade,” but the very concept of “throwing” it at someone makes the exchange sound like some twisted playground game rather than actual cattiness and insults.
“Weird flex, but okay” (Meaning: An unimpressed reaction to someone’s humblebrags or excessive showing off)
What starts off as a reasonably astute way to call out someone’s self-aggrandizing makes an obnoxious U-turn into bizarrely judgmental territory with “weird flex.” Because not only does it dismiss the initial boast, but it goes the extra demeaning mile to mock it as an unsuccessful attempt at even trying to brag in the first place. Shaming excellence is totally on-brand for perpetually cynical millennials.
While some of these sayings initially sound clever or even mildly humorous, their incessant overuse quickly turns them into cringeworthy linguistic sludge. Dropping too many of these millennial vocab bombs is the quickest way to get instantly dismissed as an insufferable try-hard.
Of course, it’s all in good fun teasing the absurdities of modern generational slang. After all, every generation puts its own stamp on the English language. We ALL used some silly catchphrases and slang in our youth that make us shudder now.
So by all means, keep saying “yeet” or whatever helps you feeling young and hip for now. Just don’t be surprised when you’re mercilessly mocked for it by the next crop of young trendsetters in a few years. Such is the endless circle of slang life!
