Every one of us clings onto a piece of slang from our 'younger days'. It's hard to stay up to date.
Nobody likes to sound like they are out of touch, especially brands trying to sell their products to teens, but keeping up with the latest slang words certainly isn’t easy. Just when you think you’ve gotten a handle on what words are “cool,” Gen Z goes and changes them, making you sound ancient.
So, what slang words are teens no longer using? Well, Business Insider polled some teens to find out what words are so yesterday, along with some of the words that have replaced them, so if you want to sound hip to your teenager, you better listen up.
Outdated slang words include:
- “Swag” - Once used to describe someone who is cool, teens say that word hasn’t been cool since 2012. Now if something is cool, teens will use the word “Lit,” although it’s more likely to be used to describe a situation or thing rather than a person.
- “Bae” – It used to be the trendy way to talk about ones significant other, but it’s been overused. There isn’t actually a replacement word, although the word "bruh” is a way to describe a friend using something other than their name.
- “YOLO” – Thanks to Drake, teens used YOLO to mean, “You only live once,” a way to refer to seizing the day. But now, thanks to DJ Khaled, they use “key” or “major key” to describe something that’s important.
- “Rad” – This word for cool hasn’t been popular since the 1990s. Instead, teens use the word “chill” to say something’s cool.
- “Gnarly” – Another word for cool, but this one hasn’t been popular since the 70s and 80s. A better term to use is “dope.”
- “Savage” – Used to describe someone who acts without restraint, a trait that folks admire. This type of person usually does things that others are scared to do. Unfortunately, most teens don’t use that word anymore. They suggest using the word “oof,” to express sympathy for a friend who possibly got hurt by the “savage" individual.
- “On Fleek” – Used to describe something or someone that’s perfect, although these days teens use the term “GOAT,” as in “greatest of all time” in such situations.
Source: Business Insider