'Cheugy': The New Gen Z Word That's Mocking Older Generations

Do your Facebook posts include numerous “not before coffee” memes? Maybe you refuse to acknowledge that the reign of skinny jeans is over? Perhaps you decorate with wooden signs from Target that say “gather” or “home.”

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In that case, you might be considered “cheugy.” According to the New York Times, cheugy refers to someone who is out of date or trying too hard. Now, before you say that naysayers will have to rip your skinny jeans from your cold, dead hands, let’s take a closer look at where cheugy came from.

Furthermore, before you reassess your basicness, being a bit cheugy is absolutely fine and inevitable.

WTH Is Cheugy?

According to the New York Times, the word cheugy was coined by 23-year-old Los Angeles software developer Gaby Rasson in 2013. Rasson came up with the term while attending Beverly Hills High School. She wanted a phrase to describe individuals who are off-trend, so she made up the word cheugy as a word to describe them.

“It was a category that didn’t exist,” she said. “There was a missing word that was on the edge of my tongue and nothing to describe it and ‘cheugy’ came to me. How it sounded fit the meaning.”

Rasson’s new word spread like wildfire among campus, and eventually even followed her to college. However, the term cheugy didn’t gain mainstream popularity until Hallie Cain, 24, a Los Angeles copywriter, made a viral TikTok.

Cain says that she uses the term to describe “the type of people who get married at 20 years old.” Additionally, she also uses it to describe “millennials” and “girl boss energy.” Cain suggests all of these point to the same thing, “The word, my friend, is ‘cheugy.'”

Despite once being thought of as cool, cheugy means it’s now less trendy. “It’s used when people follow these out-of-date trends” or “when something falls into that category.” So, what are some examples?

Are You Cheugy?

TikTok is by far the best place to find Cheug-centric examples. Naturally, skinny jeans, farmhouse decor, and blonde hair made the list. But, what else is considered cheugy? According to social media, Herbal Essence Shampoo, graphic tees, knee-high boots, blanket scarves, Disney adults, cheesy hashtags, jean jackets, wooden decor signs, and Axe Body Spray are all cheugy!

So, what if you love some of these cheugy things? Have you fallen behind the trends, perhaps? Nevertheless, what is considered cheugy today may not be so tomorrow. Take Uggs and Crocs, for instance.

Despite the fact that the word cheugy is new, the idea behind it is not. Gretchen McCulloch, a linguist and writer, told the New York Times, “A word like cheugy is a way of labeling an in-group and an out-group.”

As with terms such as groovy or rad, McCulloch illustrates, “Certain types of words go through trends just like clothing and accessories do.” The word cheugy will also become cheugy in time.

In the meantime, embrace your inner cheugyness, or at least become more aware.