2022 has certainly been a wonderful year for slang. From pop culture occurrences to TikTok trends, expressions of language have never been so diverse – but what sort of words have been dominating the scene?
A brand new study by Preply reveals just this. Taking a seedlist of this year’s commonly spoken slang words, the team have used Google Trends data to identify the terms that have increased in search volume since the start of 2022.
Here’s what they are…
Understood the assignment – 348% increase
As told in American rapper Tay Money’s iconic TikTok song, understood the assignment refers to someone who gives 110% in what they do, whether that’s their job or what they chose to wear for a glamorous event.
The term has given a new meaning to the term ‘killing it’, not to mention being used in numerous social media captions – most likely posted by your friends.
Cheugy – 330% increase
When cheugy first came onto the scene, people were simply perplexed. What does such a word mean? Is it something to do with chewing gum?
Pronounced ‘chew-gee’, the term is basically a fancy way of saying ‘basic’ and refers to someone who is not in touch with the current trends or is trying too hard.
Bussin’ – 178% increase
Believed to have come from the phrase ‘to bust a move’, which means to dance or perform with style, bussin refers to something that is extremely great.
This term often relates to food – that said, it’s perfectly acceptable to use this term as an adjective to describe the popcorn chicken at your local KFC.
Caught in 4k – 150% increase
So, we have ‘caught in the trap’ and ‘caught in the act’, but what exactly does caught in 4k mean?
To put it simply, it means to catch someone out red-handed and having the digital evidence to prove it. On social media, the phrase can be accompanied by the camera emoji to emphasise the level of exposure. How scandalous!
Sending me – 113% increase
From ‘I’m literally screaming’ to ‘I can’t deal’, there are many modern-day ways to express laughter.
A recent 2022 addition to this list is sending me. As the term suggests, it refers to finding something so funny that you just cannot act normal for the time being.
Ate that – 79% increase
In the slang world of compliments, telling someone that they ate that is a high form of praise.
And no, it doesn’t mean telling someone off for having the last french fry, rather the term refers to someone doing a great job.
Main character – 59% increase
Another term popularised by TikTok, main character refers to the core person in a situation.
A classic example of this is where someone walks into a room, impeccably dressed and therefore catches everyone’s attention. Similarly, when there is an individual in the group who is funny or entertaining, you can say they exude ‘main character energy’.
Snatched – 53% increase
Forget ‘gorgeous’, to say someone is ‘snatched’ is really a top-tier compliment.
Popularised by the 1990s New York City drag culture, to say someone is snatched means that they are all kinds of attractive, perfect and amazing.
