Slang Words of 2020
It’s so interesting to see how slang evolves. I am now 30, and I still have no idea what half of the new slang words mean today. When I was in school, it was words like Whatssuuuup??, sick and sweet, etc., but now, to be honest, I have no idea what the younger ones are talking about, lol. So, to catch me up to speed on the latest slang and to catch you all up to speed, here are the newest slang words you will hear in 2020.
1. Canceled
The first time I heard this word was when YouTube star Tana Mongeau attempted to hold her own convention, called Tanacon, and it ended up being a huge disaster, thus „canceling“ her and what she stood for. She ended up creating a bunch of clothes and merchandise with this word, „canceled,“ and she ended up selling out on a lot of her merchandise, thus making this word become a part of today’s social media slang. Now, when someone does something that ends their career or when people want to reject someone or an idea, they are „canceled,“ hence the „cancel culture.“
2. Clout
I also heard this word from Tana Mongeau, lol, and I had to look it up when I first heard it. Clout means being famous or having influence. A lot of social media influencers, you could say, are „chasing clout,“ so trying to become even more famous or gain more followers by associating themselves with someone who has „clout.“ (Source: Urban Dictionary)
3. Basic
„Basic“ has been around for a few years now. Sometimes you will hear girls say „basic bitch,“ lol, so a girl who believes herself to be amazing and unique when she is just dull and average. But the word „basic“ just means when someone is only interested in things mainstream, popular, and trending. (Source: Urban Dictionary)
4. Woke
„Woke“ is the act of being very arrogant about how much you care about a social issue. This word has been around for a couple of years, but I am seeing it a lot more this year due to everything that’s been going on in the world. (Source: Urban Dictionary)
5. Shook
„I am shook to my core!“ If someone is „shook,“ they are affected negatively and emotionally. It can also mean when someone is super shocked and surprised. (Source: Business Insider)
6. Snatched
So, if you haven’t noticed, I like to watch YouTube, and I admittedly watch a lot of makeup artists because I love makeup. Anyway, I hear most makeup artists use this word to describe how their makeup looks, and I think it’s pretty fitting. But, obviously, the word means when something looks good. (Source: Urban Dictionary)
I read about several others like „cap,“ „GOAT,“ and „fr,“ but I have never heard of those before, lol, so I’m just going to stop at „snatched.“ As time goes on, it will be super interesting and funny to see how slang will evolve even more.