TikTok users fuse low-key and genuinely into the slang ‘lowkenuinely’

Young TikTok users have coined the adverb lowkenuinely, a portmanteau of low-key and genuinely that began circulating at the end of last year, according to the report. Layla Gonzalez, a 20-year-old student in North Carolina, said, “It just means low-key and genuinely at the same time,” and gave an example that she told a friend 7-Eleven was “lowkenuinely out” of the iced tea her friend wanted.

The word is used like a modern iteration of literally, often as a hyperbolic intensifier rather than its literal meaning. A video widely believed to be the first use from November reads in its text: “When the pastor at the altar low-key asks your wife if she wants to be your lawfully wedded wife, and instead of saying ‘I do’ she genuinely says ‘genuinely’ and you lowkenuinely tweak out.” The user credited with coining the phrase did not respond to interview requests.

Adam Aleksic, author of “Algospeak: How Social Media Is Transforming the Future of Language,” attributed the term’s sudden popularity to “slang overload,” saying, “Most brain rot is the overuse of words, so like ‘skibbidi rizz Ohio’ or ‘matcha Labubu Dubai chocolate.’” The term has already evolved as it spread.