These Were the 9 Most Overused Words on the Internet in 2016

Remember when the word squad somehow made its way into every other conversation? Or how the phrase Netflix and chill became pretty much inescapable on Instagram? Yes, the Internet is a strange, obsessive place; once it latches on to a catchy term, you better believe you’re going to see it pop up again and again. In 2016, squad thankfully went out of style, but before we knew it, another female-empowering slogan came in to take its place—Bey, we love you, but let’s agree never to use slay again. Here, a look back at the nine most overused words on the Internet in 2016. (Now you’ll finally understand what your niece has been talking about on Twitter.)
Slay
Definition: To greatly excel at something; mainly used when talking about Beyoncé, who popularized the word in the first place.
Sample sentence: Beyoncé slayed her 15-minute live Lemonade performance at the MTV Video Music Awards.
Patriarchy
Definition: A stubbornly enduring system in which men hold the majority of social, economic, and political power.
Sample sentence: We were so close to finally toppling the patriarchy—but then America elected Donald Trump as president.
Sus
Definition: When something seems “off”; short for suspect.
Sample sentence: Rex Tillerson’s cozy relationship with Vladimir Putin is kind of sus . . .
Savage
Definition: Ruthless; usually written in all caps.
Sample sentence: Kim Kardashian West posting Taylor Swift’s phone call with Kanye West on Snapchat was savage.
Yuge
Definition: Big, tremendous, very good; a New York–ian mispronunciation of huge.
Sample sentence: The crowds at the Women’s March on Washington are going to be yuge!
Breadcrumbing
Definition: When a person shows just enough interest (mainly through noncommittal text messages or likes) to keep someone interested without ever making a real move.
Sample sentence: He texts me every two weeks or so, but has never once asked me out; he’s totally breadcrumbing.
Thirsty
Definition: To describe a certain overeagerness for attention, most often found on social media.
Sample sentence:
Rita Ora has the thirstiest instagrams.
Woke
Definition: To be aware of social and cultural injustices; a term used to described a newly enlightened person.
Sample sentence: After reading Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s We Should All Be Feminists, he suddenly became super woke.
Ship
Definition: The act of desperately wanting two celebrities to end up together; derived from the word relationship.
Sample sentence: As much as we shipped Drake and Rihanna, those two crazy kids just couldn’t work it out.