You wake up, feeling great and ready to take on whatever the world throws your way. You pour yourself a cup of coffee, scroll through social media to see what the world is up to, and then bam! You stumble across a new word that the younger generation has seamlessly adopted into their daily lexicon. And suddenly, you feel old. And that’s all we’ve been feeling like lately as the Gen Z dictionary continues to explode with a flurry of new terms.
“Brat,” “Demure,” “Pookie”— these are just some of the trending slang terms that are currently causing a role reversal between students and their teachers. These new combinations of letters, with roots, meanings, and spellings of their own — that only those born after 2010 seem to know how to use and place — are leaving the rest of us scrambling to stay behind.
Keeping up with each new internet term can be a challenge (we’re speaking from experience), but we’re here to make your crash course easy so there’s no need to dredge up those old school nightmares. Whether you want to sound cool at school or, let’s be real, at work—because you’re 35 and graduated over a decade ago—these terms have got you covered.
Demure
Urban Dictionary Definition: “Of a quiet, modest, unassuming, reserved nature. Somebody who is serious or sober (moderate, self-controlled) and even shy. For most of the 1800s, this was the ideal for a woman, as illustrated in Jane Austen’s works and the works of many poets, writers, artists, and leaders. Not necessarily a doormat, but certainly a docile, gentle kind of persona. ”
Our Definition: “Mindful. Ladylike. Cutesy.”
Brat Summer
Urban Dictionary Definition: “An unapologetic
Our Definition: “What that wild cousin of yours is up to.”
Pookie
Urban Dictionary Definition: “A nickname which you call your best friend or someone you really love. A nickname that many people use for their best friend.”
Our Definition: “It’s basically ‘habibi’ but in GenZ…”
Trad Wife
Urban Dictionary Definition: “Short for “traditional wife” (that is to say, a female homemaker). The word has nothing to do with neo-nazism as some definitions here have suggested, it just stands for “traditional wife”. Some women choose to do that, and some women don’t. Each person has a right to pursue happiness as they see fit, right?”
Our Definition: “What your mom has been doing for as long as you’ve known her, except that she’s not seen as cool for it.”
Aura
Urban Dictionary Definition: “Aura is the life energy one possesses. It can be used in many ways. It can affect others. There are different kinds of aura… i.e. fighting aura. Some cartoons exaggerate this, showing glowing shadows of power. It can be used with magical properties. One can transfer an aura into one, thus giving them more power/energy.”
Our Definition: “What white girls are trying to figure out when they ask you what your star sign is.”
Yapping
Urban Dictionary Definition: “The act of speaking without discretion at length to an uninterested audience resulting in discomfort, annoyance, and/or discontent. yap derives from the annoying bark produced by small dogs.”
Our Definition: “In North Africa, we say ‘an old woman who caught a thief.'”
It’s Giving
Urban Dictionary Definition: “Used to define an action that’s really unique or amazing (says when is impressed with something you do)”
Our Definition: “It hits differently.”
Tweaking
Urban Dictionary Definition: “Tripping or doing something dumb.”
Our Definition: “You’re being anxious, you messed up, and you know it. You’re tweaking as a result.”
Sus
Urban Dictionary Definition: “Giving the impression that something is questionable or dishonest; suspicious. This word gained popularity with being the catchphrase in the online multiplayer game among us.”
Our Definition: “Moving weird.”
Cap
Urban Dictionary Definition: “The word lying but built different“
Our Definition: “The same word as lie but shorter… kind of.”
