You dance to new music on TikTok, you communicate exclusively in emoji, you talk about YouTubers like they’re your best friends, and your side part is a thing of the past. So why doesn’t Gen Z think you’re cool yet? The answer is clear: You’re a little cheugy.
The meaning of cheugy might hurt your feelings a little bit, but it’s best to know when you’re being a little … much.
What Does “Cheugy” Mean?
Pronounced CHEW-ghee, the Gen Z term cheugy means “someone who’s trying too hard to be young and hip.”
It’s like basic, but a little meaner. If trendy people are on fleek, cheugy people are off fleek.
- My cheugy mom still plucks her eyebrows super thin.
- Please don’t wear those cheugy low-rise jeans tonight.
- You’re still listening to that cheugy band? They’re so last year.
Cheugy can describe anyone from a person rocking a fad from last season to a person older than Gen Z. (Sorry, millennials — this means us.)
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The Origin of “Cheugy”
Cheugy was invented in 2013 by then-teenager Gaby Rosson, who claimed that the word wasn’t meant to be mean — just descriptive. It became popular online years later, thanks to TikTok.
But even though Zoomers coined the term cheugy, they don’t own the concept of looking down on uncool older people. Millennials, Gen X, and Baby Boomers used all sorts of terms (lame, out of touch, square, basic) to shatter an elder’s fragile delusion that they are still “with it.”
What Does “Cheugy” Mean in Pokémon?
The term appears in more places than in gatherings of judgemental young people — it also appears in the game Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.
It means “old and outdated,” as in having an out-of-date Pokemon or appearance.
Examples of “Cheugy”
So how can you tell if you’re cheugy? After all, isn’t all your old stuff from high school cool again?
Your first clue that you’re a cheug (noun form of cheugy) is if someone actually called you cheugy.
Here are some more examples of how cheugy could be used against you (in a sentence).
- Is this cheugy?
- My cheugy mom showed me her high-school wardrobe yesterday.
- That side part is real cheugy.
- Stop saying "yeet," Dad. You're such a cheug.
- Why are millennials so obsessed with their Harry Potter houses? It's the cheugiest thing they do.
- I wish my sister would stop posting cheugy pictures of her meals on social media.
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