From demure to brat and holding space, the origin and meaning of popular Gen-Z terms

Some of these words and phrases are much older than you think

The phrase 'holding space', used by a journalist while interviewing Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo for the film Wicked, has gone viral. EPA

Have you been acting demure lately? Did you have a brat summer? Or what are you holding space for? If you’re confused, you’re not alone.

It is estimated that William Shakespeare invented more than 1,000 words that are in use today. From eyeball to fashionable and bedazzled to pageantry, most of these words started out as slang.

These days, slang has become part of the everyday lexicon more quickly thanks to social media platforms like X, TikTok and YouTube, as well as Gen-Z (and sometimes even millennials) bringing some older words back into the spotlight. And that has significant power, with Dictionary.com even naming demure as the word of the year. With that in mind, here are some phrases that have become part of the mainstream, and some that have confounded many.

Holding space

Cynthia Erivo, left, and Ariana Grande in a scene from the film Wicked. Photo: Universal Pictures

From a viral clip during a press junket for the blockbuster Wicked, the internet has claimed the term "holding space" and run wild with it. Taken from an the interview featuring journalist Tracy E Gilchrist and the film's stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, hundreds of memes have sprouted across TiKTok and Instagram Reels, with people posting their own interpretation of the confounding phrase

In the original clip, Gilchrist, referring to the musical's most popular song, tells the stars: “This week, people are taking the lyrics to Defying Gravity and really holding space with that."

“I didn’t know that that was happening,” Erivo immediately responds, looking visibly overcome with emotion, and turns to her co-star Grande, who reaches out to lovingly hold Erivo's finger.

Holding space, Gilchrist recently told Variety, "is being physically, emotionally and mentally present with someone or something."

"For me, it means being in the moment, not being distracted and feeling something on a cellular level," she says.

"When Cynthia sings 'I’m through accepting limits,' there’s power in that. She plays a character who is othered. One who comes to her full power when she is exiled by a charlatan, by a cruel leader. There’s a lot of resonance there right now for anyone who is marginalised. For me, holding space is listening to those lyrics anew and finding solace or inspiration."

Apateu

A Korean word meaning apartment, the term has gone viral following the success of the song Apt. by Blackpink member Rose, featuring Bruno Mars. The lead single from Rose's upcoming album Rosie, the song debuted at number one on the Billboard Global 200 list and surpassed 100 million streams on Spotify within seven days of its release, setting a record for a K-pop female solo artist and the second fastest for any K-pop singer.

On YouTube, the video has been more than 444 million times.

The song was inspired by a Korean social game called Apartment, Rose told online music magazine Stereogum.

"Apt is actually my favourite Korean drinking game that I play with my friends back home. It's so simple, puts a smile on your face, and breaks the ice at any party," she said. "One night in the studio, I taught my crew how to play the game. Everyone was fascinated, especially when I started the chant, so we played around with it, and I said we should make a song out of it... and after Bruno joined the track, the rest became history!"

Demure

Traditionally, demure is used to describe someone, often a woman, who is reserved, modest and shy. However, make-up artist and TikTok content creator Jools Lebron, has reframed the word to mean someone who is mindful of themselves, their appearance and interactions with others.

In a series of videos, Lebron explains with a hint of satire to apply a “very demure, very mindful” approach to a number of everyday situations. This includes: how to dress at work, how to interact with people at the airport and generally how to present oneself in social situations.

“The way I came to the interview is the way I go to the job,” she said in a TikTok video that currently has more than four million views. The phrase has gone viral with users and corporations such as Elf Cosmetics and Delta commenting and creating their own content on how to be “demure” while performing various activities.

Bussin

Bussin is used to describe something extremely good or delicious. While it can be used to describe food, it can also be applied in areas such as fashion and general experiences. The slang has been growing in popularity with Gen-Z thanks to TikTok.

Bussin is derived from the word “busting” – a term that comes from African-American Vernacular English that means something that is full of flavour or yields an exciting reaction. The term has evolved, dropping the “t” sound and has become widely adopted outside its original cultural context.

Brat

Artist Charli XCX's 2024 album Brat has created a lingistic phenomena. Reuters

Brat is not an insult. British pop star Charli XCX’s 2024 album has become more than just a musical phenomenon: it's a linguistic one too.

The title of her album Brat has taken the original meaning of the word from a badly-behaved child to meaning a person who is embracing a carefree, party-loving attitude.

The singer has explained the definition of the word in several interviews including the podcast Anything Goes with Emma Chamberlain. “You’re that girl who is a bit messy and loves to party and maybe says dumb things sometimes. She’s honest, blunt and a little bit volatile. That’s Brat,” she said.

The term has also been used to describe a Brat Summer, which further takes the definition of the word and its associated aesthetic of being nonchalant and authentic.

US Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris used Brat and the lime green associated with the word and album, as part of her campaign to strategically engage younger voters. Charli XCX also endorsed Harris in a post on X: “kamala IS brat”.

Mid

It’s mediocre, it average, it not that exciting – it’s mid. Used to describe something that's not very special or significant, mid can be used on a variety of subjects – from films, TV shows, music, fashion, food or any other experiences. It’s a quick way to say that something was neither impressive nor completely terrible. The term can also have insulting undertones, inferring to someone or something that is of poor quality.

Delulu

To be delulu is to be out of touch with reality. A shortened version of the word delusional, delulu was coined by the K-pop fan base as a way to mock other fans' beliefs, theories and imagined relationships with K-pop celebrities.

From there, the word became increasingly popular on TikTok and is now widely used term to refer to anyone living in a fantasy. It no longer only refers to being unrealistic about celebrity relationships, but any kind of romantic fantasy or naive belief about any topic.

Drip

Drip refers to someone who has a unique or cool sense of style fashion, or general appearance. The word used to have negative connotations – referring to someone as being a drip was an insult to mean they are annoying or boring.

However, through hip-hop culture and particularly from the song Drip Too Hard by Gunna and Lil Baby, the word has been reframed to mean any person who is “dripping” with personal style and is generally very fashionable.

The term may also have its origins from the phrase “dripping with diamonds” which was used by the design houses of the 1950s to describe a certain style of jewellery design.

Rizz or rizzler

Streamer and content creator Kai Cenat is credited for popularising the word rizz. Photo: WikiCommons

Shortened from the word charisma, someone who has rizz or is a rizzler is charming and a suave flirt. Rizz gained popularity as a word through platforms like TikTok and Twitch, but mostly through the influence of streamer and YouTube content creator Kai Cenat. Known for his comedy content, he is often credited for popularising the term in 2021.

Rizz, which can be used as a verb and a noun, was named the Oxford English Dictionary's Word of the Year for 2023, which shows its rise and impact in mainstream culture and usage.

Salty

Anger? Bitter? Overreacting? You’re just being salty. Usually meaning someone that is irritated or upset after feeling humiliated or embarrassed, salty is much older than other slang terms. Its usage has been around since at least 1938 as a way to describe someone tough or aggressive, particularly sailors who spent long months out at sea.

The connection between salty sea waters and salty tears contributed to its use as a term to describe someone experiencing frustration or anger on social media over the past few years.