Top Gen Z Slang Phrases to Make You Sound Cool
Do you ever feel like people in a different generation are totally alien to you? You’re not alone. There’s some Gen Z slang out there that’s leaving some people scratching their heads. It can be daunting to spend time with your little niece or nephew just to find out you have no idea what they’re talking about because they’re using a different vocabulary than you’ve ever heard before. But, don’t fret. We have some top Gen Z slang phrases and what they mean, so you can sound cool around the youngsters.
Top Gen Z Slang Phrases
So, how old is Generation Z? As with the start and end dates of all generations, it gets a little murky, but in general, researchers say Gen Z was born from the late-1990s to early 2010s. Most people in the Gen Z generation have parents who are Generation X or Millennials. Britannica.com states that Generation Z is a “term used to describe Americans born during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Some sources give the specific year range of 1997–2012, although the years spanned are sometimes contested or debated because generations and their zeitgeists are difficult to delineate.” If you’re wondering about some other generations, Britannica.com states that Millennials were mainly born between between 1981 and 1996 , and Generation X were generally born between 1965 and 1980.
So, what are some hot words used by Generation Z? The experts at education website Quizgecko did the research to took at search trends and find out which Gen Z words were searched for the most each month, meaning people have been trying to figure out what these trendy words mean. Their study found that the most searched-for Gen Z slang word is “rizz,” with 673,000 searches trying to figure out its meaning every month. So, what does the word mean? According to Quizgecko, “On TikTok and other social media platforms, ‘rizz’ denotes a talent for seduction and comes from the word ‘charisma.'” Another heavily searched-for word was “pookie,” which Quizgecko says, “On TikTok, ‘pookie’ is often used as an affectionate nickname or term of endearment for a loved one, such as a romantic partner, friend, celebrity, or pet.”
Looking at a few more hot Gen Z slang phrases and words, “OOMF” is short for “one of my followers,” which Quizgecko says is “usually used on X and TikTok to talk about one of your followers without mentioning their name.” This is a fun one: “Beige flag” means “something that’s neither good nor bad but makes you pause for a minute when you notice it and then you just continue on, something odd.” Finally, “moots” is “short for mutuals. It’s when you follow someone and they follow you back.” So, thanks for reading, pookie.
How to Tell If You're in the 'Xennial Generation'
You remember the Challenger tragedy..but barely
Space Shuttle Challenger explosion and tragedy took place in January 1986. If you’re a Xennial, you might have very faint memories of this happening, but you were very young. Xennials would be somewhere between the ages of 3 and 9 when this happened, whereas, Millennials would be 2 or younger or not born yet. Consequently, Gen X would be older than 9 so have much more distinct memories of the event.
UNSPECIFIED LOCATION – NOVEMBER 11: (FILE PHOTO) Space Shuttle Challenger crew members gather for an official portrait November 11, 1985 in an unspecified location. (Back, L-R) Mission Specialist Ellison S. Onizuka, Teacher-in-Space participant Sharon Christa McAuliffe, Payload Specialist Greg Jarvis and mission specialist Judy Resnick. (Front, L-R) Pilot Mike Smith, commander Dick Scobee and mission specialist Ron McNair. The Challenger and its seven member crew were lost seventy three seconds after launch when a booster rocket failed. (Photo by NASA/Getty Images)
You remember the fall of the Berlin Wall..but barely
If you were a child during the fall of the Berlin Wall, then you might be a Xennial. The Berlin Wall fell in November 1989. Xennials would be somewhere between the ages of 6 and 12. So, you were perhaps too young to understand or really comprehend what was going on, but you knew it was going on.
BERLIN, GERMANY – NOVEMBER 09: A young woman peers through concrete slats among flowers left by other visitors at the Berlin Wall memorial at Bernauer Strasse on the 26th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 2015 in Berlin, Germany. On November 9, 1989, East German border guards opened barriers at the Berlin Wall and allowed thousands of East Germans to cross into West Berlin, symbolically heralding the end of the division of Europe and the conclusion of the Cold War. Today politicians across Europe, even in Germany, are debating erecting border barriers of their own in order to stem the influx of migrants. According to the latest estimates Germany could receive up to 1.5 million migrants seeking asylum by the end of the year. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
You remember a time with no cell phone..but you've had one most of your life
The first cell phones came out Xennials were in their 20s or even late teens. So, Xennials remember a time with rotary phones and phone booths. But, most of their lives, they’ve had cell phones.
Getty Images / Ivan-balvan
You aren't an optimist or a pessimist
In general, Gen X is regarded as being a fairly pessimistic generation, while Millennials are optimistic. But, Xennials have both traits. At the very least, they have both their pessimistic and optimistic moments, but don’t sway one way or another.
Getty Images / kitzcorner
You weren't born into an era with computers or Facebook, but you had them early on
Xennials got computers as young as in their elementary and middle school years. But, these computers were very primitive, and this was long before Facebook or, ha, MySpace. So, Xennials tend to be pretty tech-savvy, having grown up with tech, but they come from a different perspective, since their first experiences with technology were nothing like the tech of today.
Getty Images / solarseven
