Here at YUNG, our team is blended, a mix of Gen Z upstarts, the odd Millennial and (gasp), some truly ancient individuals. As the silverback of the group, I often find myself scratching my head when one of my younger counterparts is recounting what they got up to on the weekend. I’m getting there, but learning my JOMOs, and my teas, and exactly what “coded” means … Well.
Language changes, always has, always will. Words evolve, new meanings develop, the very way we talk (or write) morphs. The vocab we learn as young adults tends to stick with us throughout our lives and you can often find yourself speaking to a different language to the people around you.
These changes are never more apparent than when children talk to their parents, or God forbid, when one of our achingly cool creatives here at YUNG talks to one of the “older” editorial staff during our perennially popular Monday morning Zoom calls. If you want to keep track of what they’re all up to, give our Instagram a follow and take a look at our fashion and arts and culture pages. But, as someone who bemoans the death of the semi-colon, it’s my job to ruin our younger writers’ dreams by checking their full stops, commas and grammar and this means that I have find myself double-checking the latest Gen Z (ish) phrase.
In short, this can be a cause of much hilarity and eye-rolling.
Anyway. IRL, I’m off. The new vegan burger bar round the corner just opened and I’ve got mad FOMO, it looks sick, their oat-milk, no-milk, joy-free milkshakes look like they slap, no cap.
So, without further ado, here’s a collection of our favourite bits of contemporary Gen Z slang.
IRL
pron. /ˌaɪ.ɑːrˈɛl/
abbrev. (adverb)
Definition: In real life; the non-digital, meatspace version of existence.
Example: “We met IRL and made eye contact without emojis. Terrifying.”
Old man’s verdict: This one’s been around for a while, nothing exciting here.
FOMO
pron. /ˈfoʊ.moʊ/
noun
Definition: Fear of Missing Out; the gnawing anxiety that something more fun is happening elsewhere without you.
Example: “I RSVPed to seven parties this weekend, my FOMO made me. I shall attend none.”
Old man’s verdict: Another one from a good few years back.
JOMO
pron. /ˈdʒoʊ.moʊ/
noun
Definition: Joy of Missing Out; smug delight in staying home while others pretend to enjoy themselves.
Example: “Skipped the rooftop yoga rave. Full JOMO. Ate cheese in bed.”
Old man’s verdict: Alright, this one’s new.
Tea
pron. /tiː/
noun (uncountable)
Definition: Gossip, often salacious and served piping hot.
Example: “Spill the tea — who got cancelled this week?”
Old man’s verdict: Alright, this one’s new. But why “tea”?
Flex
pron. /flɛks/
noun, verb
Definition (noun): An ostentatious display, usually of wealth or status.
Definition (verb): To show off in a way that screams insecurity dressed as confidence.
Example: “He flew to Milan for espresso. Just a casual flex.”
Old man’s verdict: Understandable, got it.
Slaps
pron. /slæps/
verb (intransitive)
Definition: To be exceptionally good or enjoyable; often music, occasionally sandwiches.
Example: “This playlist slaps harder than a boomer discovering Spotify.
Old man’s verdict: This one’s an oldie, but back in my day it was all about music.
Sick
pron. /sɪk/
adj.
Definition: Cool, impressive, outrageously awesome (not to be confused with influenza).
Example: “That skateboard trick was sick. His fractured ankle, however, was IRL.”
Old man’s verdict: I feel like this one’s been around for a while, too.
Stan
pron. /stæn/
verb, noun
Definition (verb): To obsessively support someone or something.
Definition (noun): A die-hard fan with concerning levels of devotion.
Example: “I stan Jane Austen. Her prose was the original savage.”
Old man’s verdict: Eminem. No question.
Cap
pron. /kæp/
noun, verb
Definition (noun): A lie or falsehood.
Definition (verb): To lie.
Example: “He said he reads for fun. Cap.”
Old man’s verdict: This one just makes no sense.
No Cap
pron. /noʊ kæp/
phrase
Definition: Truly, sincerely, honestly — scout’s honour, but here and now.
Example: “That fit is fire, no cap.”
(“Fit” here meaning “outfit,” not cardiovascular function.)
Old man’s verdict: Again, what?
Fire
pron. /ˈfaɪər/
adj.
Definition: Extremely good, stylish, or exciting; so excellent it metaphorically burns.
Example: “That jacket is fire. I’d trade my verified checkmark for it.”
Old man’s verdict: Sure. Alright.
Vibe
pron. /vaɪb/
noun, verb
Definition (noun): A mood, energy, or aesthetic — typically unspoken, always curated.
Definition (verb): To relax or exist in aesthetic alignment with the universe.
Example: “The bookshop café was such a vibe. The works of Jean-Paul Sartre and lo-fi beats.”
Old man’s verdict: This one isn’t specifically Gen Z, it’s as old as tie-died t-shirts and dreadlocks on white guys.
Lock In / Locked In
pron. /lɑk ɪn/
verb (phrasal)
Definition: To focus intensely, usually on a task or goal; a modern-day trance state.
Example: “I’m locked in on this TikTok feud. No distractions except twelve group chats.”
Old man’s verdict: Yeah, I can do this one.
“X”-coded
pron. /ˈeks ˌkoʊ.dɪd/
adj.
Definition: Evocative of a particular aesthetic, personality, or archetype. Often hyper-specific.
Example: “Pale faced, black lips and way too much eye shadow? Wednesday Adams-coded.”
Old man’s verdict: Clever. I like it.
May [X] find me / never find me
pron. /meɪ ˈfaɪnd miː/
phrase
Definition: A digital-era blessing or curse, manifesting one’s desires or distastes.
Examples: “May a meaningful job with benefits find me.” / “May a Zoom meeting that could’ve been an email never find me.”
Old man’s verdict: This one’s a bit much.
