Bro, it’s 2026. Did you really just say “on fleek” and “gnarly, dude” to your youngest? Yes, you barely comprehend the millennials at work, but Gen Z slang for parents, especially Gen X parents, is a necessary evil if you want to grasp the meaning of your offspring’s WhatsApp messages in order to transport them safely to their many destinations or keep an eye on them efficiently. It’s also useful so that you can chirp Gen Z’s in their own slang when they try to insult you with a “ok, boomer” (hah, not even accurate) or call you Karen for expressing an opinion. You were feral in the ’80s and own every single cultural reference parodied/adopted by ensuing generations. You got this.
nonchalant:
“It’s giving nonchalance”. Anything effortlessly cool, from clothing to attitude, to a Gen Z-friendly bespoke mug.
giving:
See above. Instead of saying “Those shoulder pads give off 80s CEO vibes” use the shorthand “It’s giving 80s CEO” to indicate mood or “It’s giving” for general excellence. Who even needs nouns?
ate that:
“I saw you on stage. You ate that.” Comes from “you ate and left no crumbs” to indicate that someone did an awesome job (performance, presentation, personal style). Don’t try to get all creative with “he’s eating that”. There’s NO present tense, only past.
aura:
“He’s giving scary aura”. Describing someone’s general vibe, coolness factor or energy level.
era:
“I’m in my sad girl era”. Personal phase in life, usually sarcastic.
fire:
“Your outfit/new kitchen/party playlist is fire”. Something awesome and high quality. Don’t add “on”. That will take your coolness factor down three notches to a minus five. Unless the outfit/kitchen is actually on fire?
slay:
“Slay, queen” or “He slayed the presentation at this morning’s meeting”. Praise for doing something extremely well or looking really good doing it.
delulu:
“You are delulu”. Short version of delusional. Someone with unrealistic, wild ideas (quite popular on X internationally, and in South Africa).
simp:
“I’m a total simp for that guy” or “stop simping, make her wait”. Simping is going overboard to get the attention of someone you really like, usually a crush. I know that Gen X wouldn’t be caught dead sucking up to anything, unless it was a bigass milkshake.
touch grass:
“You’ve been gaming for four solid hours, you need to touch grass, bro”. When someone’s hooked on screen time (gaming, social media, texting, binge-watching series, etc) and they need a reality check. Maybe there’s hope for the world that kids are this self-aware? You can always give them extra inspiration that goes beyond a screen with these excellent tips to spark creativity.
big back:
“I’m only a big back when I see a buffet”. Greedy. “Big back behaviour” or “big backtivity”.
Temu:
“He’s a Temu Keanu” or “my bag is a Temu version of your Prada”. A poor, low quality copy. Fake.
unc:
“Look at unc partying like it’s 1999”. Playfully insulting/teasing an older man trying hard to be in touch with current trends (hair, outfit, music, etc).
type shit/shi:
“We’re hanging at the beach, type shi” means “We’re going to hang out at the beach, and that kind of thing” (I think). This one’s random asf.
fear:
“I fear she ate that” or “I fear that movie sucks”. Used ironically, to emphasise a strong opinion.
rizz:
“He’s got mad rizz – she’s laughing at EVERYTHING he says”. Charisma/charm, especially when it comes to flirting.
cooked:
“I’m cooked for this exam”. Doomed, exhausted, in trouble.
crash out:
“When my WiFi dropped during the game, I crashed out”. To lose your temper or get violently angry, despite your better judgement.
drip:
“That’s some serious drip”. Your outfit is cool. “Dripped out”. Impressive, from head to toe. “Drippy”. Looking sharp/attractive. Having great personal style, usually involving trendy clothes, designer labels, jewellery, or fresh sneakers.
skibidi:
“What in the skibidi is going on here” or “That looks skibidi”. A nonsense filler word meaning good, bad, smart, dumb or anything you like.
lowkey:
“Lowkey deceased”. So exhausted that your soul has basically left your body. Kind of, secretly, somewhat. The Gen Z version of “basically” as used by Gen X and millennials. It could be removed from any sentence and still make sense. Nothing to do with Thor’s hot, moody uncle.
There are more words, but by the time you’ve gotten to grips with this lot, they might develop new ways to irritate you, so what’s the rush? Anyway, Gen Z slang for parents has left me so cooked, I could lowkey kill a bag of Doritos. Any flavour, as long as it’s cheese. And maybe pizza too? I might as well embrace my inner big back.
