Millennials reveal 14 of their favorite Gen Z slang terms

It's possible you have absolutely no clue what any of the terms mean in the headline that brought you to this article. Every generation establishes it's own original slang terms. The idea of creating a unique identity that separates older generations and signals a kind of membership amongst peers has been consistent probably since we first started building campfires.

Have no fears because we're going to break the Generation Z code. Slang is often established through music, pop culture, and different identity groups like skaters, LGBTQ, gamers, etc. More modern means of forming these conceptual terms stem from platforms like Reddit, Twitter / X, and TikTok. There tends to be a playfulness and creativity balanced against the edgy and clever sounding words.

It's good to get some of the basics down before we get into the more vague and hidden gems this next generation has crafted for us to enjoy. In a reddit thread titled, What's ur favorite gen z slang? Redditors shared some of the more familiar slang terms.

Gen Z slang words according to redditors

"I say bruh moment at least 5 times a day so probably that."

This is a little tricky. Millennials have been using it since the 2000's, but it's been updated with meme culture. Basically 'bruh' means brother with a tone of friendship, not literally your sibling. You might here someone say, "Bruh, you serious?"

"I say : cap, rizz, Karen, bruh, deadass, ong. My fav slang is cap"

'No Cap' has to do with being honest and is like saying no lie. "Great job Finn. No Cap."

'Rizz' is charisma, "He got mad rizz."

'Karen' is the entitled middle-aged woman "You're such a Karen. Debbie."

Two millenialls pose for the cameraCanva

'Deadass' actually means truthful or honest. "Deadass. I'm liking these terms."

The term 'ong' is like 'On God' meaning I swear or for real. "You're my bestie, ong."

"SLAYYYYY"

'Slay' often surrounds a person's physical looks but in general it means you're doing something very well. "You slay that look Don. No cap." Did you remember no cap?

"gyatt (yes, it's gen z)"

'Gyatt' is a term that found its momentum through YouTube and Twitch culture. It's used as a way to react to someone with an impressive body feature. "Gyatt. She walked past you like you weren't even there."

Some more exclusive Gen Z slang terms

'Touch Grass' which has to be one of my favorite gen z terms. It means go outside and get off your computer. The thought of my parents yelling at me to stop watching the TV and touch grass makes me laugh. It's good to know that even the teens themselves realize some of them are monopolizing their screens a little too much.

'Delulu' meaning simply, you are delusional. It's a funny and bit softer way to disagree with another person. Calling someone delusional is pretty aggressive. Saying your delulu almost seems sweet and endearing.

'W' is short for win. You might give yourself a 'W' for taking the time to learn and better understand gen z.

The most cutting edge term I've uncovered is 'womp womp.' It's supposed to mimic a sad trombone sound. It's a dismissive way to say you don't really care about it or maybe you're a little emotionally detached from the subject. I might say, "Please read this article." and you might say, "womp womp."

I hope that helps you tap into the younger generation's secret word play. Start chatting up those slang terms so in the least, Gen Z can make up new ones.

This article originally appeared earlier this year.