Linguists often say that language is constantly evolving, which is proven right every time you walk out the door and are utterly confused by a brand-new word people are suddenly using left and right.
It’s honestly disorienting to figure out what these words mean. Sometimes, you can guess through context clues, but other times, you can’t help but blame Gen Z for making new jokes that everybody has to add to their own dictionaries now.
Luckily, such words come and go, so in the year 2024, you don’t ever need to know about the popular words from 2022. Still, it’s nice to know what such words mean, so if you ever need a quick refresher, here’s a list of a few trending terms and why they mean what they mean.
Rizz
Let’s start with Oxford’s Word of the Year last year. The word simply means someone’s capacity to romantically charm or attract someone. You’ll probably hear this when a friend has made a move on someone, though it depends if they have good or bad “rizz” for that matter.
Coquette
Originally meant to describe a hyper-feminine and soft fashion aesthetic, anything can be called coquette if you try hard enough (a.k.a. by slapping a cute bow on it). You’ll probably hear this word pronounced as coq-(kuh), dropping the last syllable and making the loudest “kuh” sound you can.
“Situationship”
You may be familiar (or traumatized) by this one. Instead of the word relationship, they changed it to a situation, describing a will-they-or-won’t-they scenario with a relationship that has no clear commitment. Based on experience, it’s not a great place to be in. Ouch!
IJBOL
Before you start thinking it’s just a bunch of jumbled letters, it’s not. Short for “I Just Burst Out Laughing”, the word works similarly to using LOL (Laugh Out Loud) in texts. It definitely took a moment to understand, but you’ll definitely be IJBOL-ing after learning what it means.
“Kimi/Eme/Ems”
“LOL, JK JK.” If you’re tired of your BTS friends mixing up you joking with member Jeon Jungkook, then this term will solve your incredibly specific problem. But it also works for non-BTS-related scenarios. Just tag that phrase on and everybody will know that you’re joking with what you just said. Stop using “charot”, it’s so millennial, “kimi”.
“Korique”
If you’re used to saying “I agree” to agree with something, well then, this word is right here for you. It’s a bit more straightforward and you can definitely see where it originally came from (the word “correct”), but it doesn’t hurt to add to your vocabulary. It adds a little flavor to the word “correct”, don’t you agree? Korique.
Mid
What about if you’re not in the spirit to agree or say yes? Then just state this shortened form of the word mediocre to say that something is, well, mediocre. Sometimes, you just have to call it like you see it; no room for fake niceties here. If it’s mid, it’s mid.
“It’s giving!”
What’s the opposite of mid? “It’s giving.” Giving what? Well, anything really. If a moment gives off a particular feeling or vibe that you associate with it, then it’s giving what it needs to give. It’s perfect for complimenting a friend on their fashion sense, though be warned as it can easily be twisted into something negative.
“Dasurv!”
Did your friend give what needed to be given? Then you say “dasurv”, a more “maarte” way of saying “deserve”. It can be used to compliment someone on the success they’ve achieved as well-deserved. Really, they gave what they needed to give, and for that, the success is very “dasurv”.
This doesn’t even come close to every term that Gen Z has ever thought of and brought into mainstream use, but this will definitely give you a head start. Don’t worry, with a little bit of practice, you’ll for sure be IJBOL-ing and start “giving” with your Gen Z terms in no time.
