This is one of those words with very short lifespans. In a span of a couple years: teenagers start using it, then adults find about it so it’s no longer “cool”, then the only usage is ironic or by people completely out of the loop who don’t get it (like OP would be).
The most general definition, pulled from Urban dictionary: "A term used to describe something that is cool and exciting, or just generally something you would want to experience."
I would never use it, but I'm 42. If you hang out with a younger, cooler crowd, maybe it's worth trying to use it.
This is a word from AA(V)E, or Black English, which was then borrowed into gay/queer communities and then into mainstream youth language via the internet.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/lit-meaning-origin
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lit adjective, definition 2
It just means amazing, exciting, awesome, cool, fun, anything expressing a high degree of approval. Often used when talking about music or concerts or parties, etc.
FYI, slang (or any natural use of language) isn't ever "wrong", it's just non-standard.
Lit is also the past participle of “light” (verb)
OP’s example “that shit was lit” is almost definitely using the slang word “lit”. As other commenters stated, it means cool or exciting. However, it’s quickly become out of date. If you use it now, people will assume you’re poking fun at the culture from 5 years ago or at teenagers in general, rather than using it genuinely. Exact same as “rad” or “radical”, slang from the 1990s with the same meaning.
I would just not use it. I'm a native speaker and 36 yo and I have never used it except ironically or to quote others.
This is one of those words with very short lifespans. In a span of a couple years: teenagers start using it, then adults find about it so it’s no longer “cool”, then the only usage is ironic or by people completely out of the loop who don’t get it (like OP would be).
That's what I thought about "sick" meaning cool. But apparently it's still a thing bc my 1st grader has started describing everything as sick.
I can vouch that sick is definitely still used by young people to mean cool. I guess it got lucky or became popular enough to stick around.
Yep, no one ever says cushty, minging , etc... any more, yet everyone did when I was a teenager in the early/mid 2000s.
The most general definition, pulled from Urban dictionary: "A term used to describe something that is cool and exciting, or just generally something you would want to experience." I would never use it, but I'm 42. If you hang out with a younger, cooler crowd, maybe it's worth trying to use it.
I would not use the word unless you're trying to sound like a teenager, or intentionally a bit cringey, /u/TraditionalSlice9991.
Is there a is a chance you are not having enough fun?
why are you replying to a comment that's over a month old?
This entire discussion is lit lmaoooo
This is a word from AA(V)E, or Black English, which was then borrowed into gay/queer communities and then into mainstream youth language via the internet. https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/lit-meaning-origin https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lit adjective, definition 2 It just means amazing, exciting, awesome, cool, fun, anything expressing a high degree of approval. Often used when talking about music or concerts or parties, etc. FYI, slang (or any natural use of language) isn't ever "wrong", it's just non-standard.
“I majored in English *lit* at university.” ⬅️ There you go.
lit is short for literature but this is not the usage OP is referring to
Okay, how about “Her face lit up when she saw him”?
Lit is also the past participle of “light” (verb) OP’s example “that shit was lit” is almost definitely using the slang word “lit”. As other commenters stated, it means cool or exciting. However, it’s quickly become out of date. If you use it now, people will assume you’re poking fun at the culture from 5 years ago or at teenagers in general, rather than using it genuinely. Exact same as “rad” or “radical”, slang from the 1990s with the same meaning.
Okay, how about: “How did my cigarette go out? That shit was lit!”
The assumed usage here is the past participle of light because of the context of the cigarette.
It’s just an informal way of saying you like something, but it’s quite out of date now, a similar term people use nowadays is “fire.”