Gen-X Has Absolutely Zero Tolerance For 11 Slang Words That Gen-Z Totally Loves
Andrii Zastrozhnov | ShutterstockLadies and gentlemen, it has come to my attention that I speak like a Gen-Z adult despite being a Millennial. Part of this is due to the fact that my marriage has a major age gap of roughly 10 years. The other part of this is because I deal with a lot of Gen-Z people in my day-to-day life.
Sometimes, I can tell the slang I pick up from my friends and partner drives older Gen-Xers up the wall. These phrases, in particular, drive them downright batty. Parents and grandparents of Gen Z and even Gen Alpha will probably relate.
11 Gen Z slang words that Gen X struggles to tolerate from their kids:
1. ‘Rizz'
This is both a Gen-Z thing and a Gen-Alpha thing. The official definition means to be able to display a show of charisma to a romantic partner or a potential date. It’s the way to show off your gift of gab. It also happens to be one of the most annoying phrases teachers and parents hear on a regular basis.
Fortunately, much to the relief of parents everywhere, Gen Alpha and younger Gen Zers have stopped calling people Rizzler which was a much worse variation of this term based on a Gen Alpha influencer.
2. ‘Cap’
This is one I say almost daily, and it has actually been in existence since the 1990s. To cap means to lie, which means that if someone responds to something you've said with "cap," it means they think you’re lying.
Gen-Zers might proactively follow up an assertion with, "No cap," in order to stress just how true what they're saying is. Gen-Xers and older groups might roll their eyes hearing this, simply because it seems to be everywhere.
3. ‘Major W / Major L’
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To be fair, the “W” and “L” slang have been around for about 10 or so years at least. If you’re unsure what this means, it’s simple. It’s gamer slang for “major win” or “major loss,” and it’s even managed to find its way into boardrooms. If you’re Gen-X, you might’ve heard this phrase's predecessor: “Take an L" which is still quite common.
4. ‘Unc’
This one is short for "uncle," and Gen-Z uses it for anyone who seems a little older, a little out of touch, or a little too attached to their routines. Being called "unc" isn't always an insult, either. Sometimes it's a term of endearment for the friend who leaves the party at 10 pm to get a good night's sleep. But, I can also see why Gen-Xers hate it.
5. ‘Cooked’
If someone tells you that you're "cooked," it means you're doomed, done for, or in way over your head.
Forgot about a deadline until the morning it was due? You're cooked.
Ran into your ex while looking like a mess? You guessed it, you're cooked. Bad interaction with someone you like? Totally cooked.
I think Gen-X hates this one because it's so dramatic. Gen-X shrugged off recessions and dial-up internet without much complaint. To them, being "cooked" over a missed text probably sounds like a while lot of fuss over nothing.
6. ‘Delulu’
This one started out in K-pop fandoms where it described fans who were convinced they'd end up dating their favorite idol. Now it's used for anyone with wildly unrealistic hopes, like being sure your crush is into you because they liked one of your posts. Gen-Z has turned it into a mindset: "delulu is the solulu" which roughly translates to believing the impossible is how you make it happen.
7. ‘Drip’
Maybe it’s just the old codger in me talking, but the whole term ‘drip’ gets to me too. Drip is the new swag, if you get my drift. It’s the Gen-Z way of saying that you’re wearing some stylish, perhaps a little overpriced, gear. Bleh.
8. ‘Aura farming’
Your aura is basically your vibe or the energy you give off, but not literally a color someone gives off, in a traditional sense. "Aura farming" is when someone does something on purpose to look cool or effortlessly impressive. Think of someone staring off into the distance in every photo, or dramatically walking away from a conversation like they're in a music video.
Gen-X can't stand this one because aura meant something very spiritual before this. Also, their version of cool was all about not trying.
9. ‘Sus’
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Assuming you’ve not been living under a rock, you likely have heard someone under the age of 30 say the word “sus.” This is short for suspicious, and it got its steam from the game Among Us about five-ish years ago.
However, this is another word that has a longer history than most might think. It’s been around since the 1920s, possibly earlier, but don't expect anyone's great-grandma to say it. This is a very Gen Z statement, only recently abandoned when their Gen X and millennial moms started saying it back.
10. ‘Glazing'
To "glaze" someone means to hype them up so much that it gets a little embarrassing, like coating a donut in way too much sugar. You'll hear it when someone won't stop gushing about their favorite celebrity, or when a friend is laying the compliments on a little thick.
Funnily enough, I don't think Gen-Xers necessarily disagree with the sentiment but aren't interested in creating a new term for something that already exists: brown-nosing.
11. ‘Mogging’
To "mog" someone means to outshine them, usually in the looks department. If you show up to a party looking way better than everyone else, you're mogging the room. The term came out of online communities obsessed with self-improvement and appearance and has since spread to every corner of your social media of choice as well as the middle and high school classrooms, often as a joke.
Gen-Xers might find this one grating because it turns every social situation into a competition. They also think of it as solely the domain of Manosphere creeps and pick up artists, but this term has gone way outside of the confines of toxic masculinity and is now a semi-ironic statement among young adults almost everywhere.
Their idea of looking good was throwing on a flannel and not caring what anyone thought. Ranking yourself against everyone in the room sounds exhausting by comparison.
Ossiana Tepfenhart is a writer whose work has been featured in Yahoo, BRIDES, Your Daily Dish, Newtheory Magazine, and others.
