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Slang Words Starting with I

Slang WordDefinitionExamplesVariationsOrigin

Ick

Term used to refer to a sudden feeling of disgust or repulsion to a dating partner someone was previously attracted to."He gave me the ick.""Ew, that was icky."IckyThe term in reference to dating comes from the 1999 episode "Once in a Lifetime" from the TV Show Ally McBeal. In the episode, Ally refers to not being attracted to someone as "the ick." The reality show Love Island helped popularize the term, as several cast members would use the phrase. By the early 2020s the term became very popular on social media and as a result was profiled by mainstream media outlets.

IJBOL

An acronym for the phrase "I just burst out laughing", a version of "lmao.""You're hilarious, IJBOL."IJBOL, jbolDates back to 2009 as an alternate version of "lmao" or "lol" but is lately popularized into mainstream Twitter culture through the K-pop stan community in 2021, reaching its current level of use today.

I oop

Used to express shock, embarrassment, and or amusement."Did she just fall? I oop."And I OopOriginated from drag queen Jasmine Masters in a 2015 YouTube video, stated after she apparently "hit her balls." It went viral in March 2019 as an Internet meme and became associated with VSCO girls.

iPad kid

Derogatory term describing Generation Alpha children who spend most of their time staring at phone or tablet screens."That iPad kid went ballistic in the restaurant after his mom took his iPad away."iPad kidsThe term was popularized in January 2021 after a 21-year old Gen Z TikToker criticized Millennial parents for allowing excessive screen time for their children, saying "I need everyone else in my generation to promise that we are not going to raise 'iPad children.' ... You've been shoving media and screens in these kids' faces since birth." He concludes: "Gen Z isn’t allowed to raise iPad kids." The viral video garnered more than 525 million views on TikTok.

It's giving

Describe the attitude or connotation of something or someone. Can also be used to give general admiration toward something."It's giving yuck.""Your makeup today is giving.""It's giving millennial."It's giving very much, It's very much givingExact origin unknown. A possible start was with influencer Rolling Ray, a Black disabled gay man who repeatedly used the phrase in a 2019 appearance on Divorce Court. According to The Atlantic, the phrase was derived from Black and Brown ball culture. The phrase was heavily popularized in 2020 on Twitter was further popularized by a November 2022 article by Paper which used the phrase in the title of an article detailing Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello's breakup.

Iykyk

Acronym for "If you know, you know." Used to describe inside jokes."I'm not saying this, but well....iykyk."If you know, you knowDefined in Urban Dictionary in 2016. Became a popular hashtag on TikTok in 2019.

Alphabetical Index of Slang Words