17 slang words teens and Gen Z-ers are using in 2019, and what they mean

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Teens and members of Gen Z have come up with a whole host of new slang terms, many of which are confusing to older generations.
If you’ve ever wondered the meaning behind terms like "extra," "slay," "stan," or "salty," listen up.
Here’s a list of 17 popular terms and the correct way to use them.
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In a world dominated by meme culture, ever-changing social media platforms, and your ability to cram your thoughts into a 280-character tweet, your grasp of basic slang can make or break your credibility as a functional and supposedly cool human.

Scroll through the comments of any Gen Z influencer’s Instagram feed, and you may feel completely out of the loop on what the world is talking about.

Read more: The state of Gen Z

Though many of these terms have been around for decades, oftentimes derived from the language of black and queer communities, online spaces have made the spread, appropriation, and evolution of language more rapid than ever before.

Whether you’re millennial, Gen X-er, or baby boomer trying to stay up to date, or a Gen Z-er in need of an explanation, here’s a list of 17 popular slang terms and the correct way to use them.