Have you ever ever despatched out a particularly lengthy textual content, solely to be met with a brief “wdym?” Right here’s what that web acronym means and the way you should use it to specific your confusion.
What Do You Imply?
WDYM stands for “what do you imply?” It’s an acronym utilized in on-line chats and social media web sites to ask somebody to clarify a message you don’t perceive. It’s much less generally spelled as “WYM” or “what you imply?” Like different acronyms that gained recognition within the age of direct messaging, folks normally write it within the lowercase “wdym” as an alternative of the uppercase.
For instance, in case your good friend tells you, “Did you do the homework but?” and also you didn’t know that there was any homework in any respect, you would possibly reply with “WDYM?” This lets you categorical your confusion succinctly. This time period is much like a number of different web acronyms we’ve coated prior to now. The obvious comparability is IDK, which suggests “I don’t know,” an analogous time period that may describe a state of confusion. There’s additionally IDGI or “I don’t get it,” a method of claiming you don’t perceive one thing.
On prime of simply asking for clarification, WDYM implies that what the opposite particular person is saying is senseless or is blatantly incorrect. If somebody tells you, “Do you know that Apple invented the primary laptop?” You would possibly ship again “WDYM,” not essentially to be taught extra in regards to the topic however to level out that what they’re saying is solely incorrect.
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The Historical past of WDYM
This can be a newer acronym than the opposite ones we’ve coated. Whereas many web slang phrases had been born within the 90s and early 2000s, on-line proof means that WDYM got here to prominence within the late 2000s. The primary definition of WDYM on on-line slang time period repository City Dictionary got here out in 2007 and reads, “What Do You Imply?”
WDYM’s historical past is aligned with the rise of SMS textual content messaging and direct messaging functions comparable to AOL Immediate Messenger. In consequence, it was a very talked-about acronym amongst youngsters on the time. Finally, WDYM grew to become a staple in web conversations and social media platforms like Twitter and TikTok.
Whereas the precise phrase “what do you imply” has been round for a very long time, its current recognition is due to its rise as an web catchphrase. It’s the de facto solution to make clear one thing you don’t perceive, particularly if you really feel that somebody is sending you combined alerts. Pop star Justin Bieber even wrote a music titled “What Do You Imply?” that discusses a romantic associate who isn’t making sense.
WDYM and Miscommunication
The largest cause why WDYM is so ubiquitous on the web is miscommunication. While you’re speaking to another person on-line, you have to be conscious of the truth that what you’re saying won’t all the time come throughout the way you need it to. Additionally, in the event you don’t select your phrases appropriately, you would possibly simply be complicated the particular person you’re messaging.
For instance, let’s say you need to congratulate your new good friend on getting a brand new job. You need to do it humorously, so that you message, “Congrats on promoting your soul to the satan!” Sadly, in the event that they don’t perceive what the joke is referring to, they may not reply to you, or worse, they could even discover your message hurtful.
That’s why WDYM is a fast, simple solution to make clear issues and make sure that you’re each on the identical web page. In case you’re having a dialog with somebody and also you’re not fairly positive what they’re saying, then replying with “WDYM?” is all the time a superb transfer.
There’s additionally a method to make use of WDYM that suggests anger as an alternative of confusion. For instance, if somebody sends you a doubtlessly irritating remark, you would possibly reply with “WDYM” to immediate them to clarify themselves. This specific definition is much like the phrase “what do you imply by that?” which is a typical response to somebody being impolite, usually with out them realizing it.
The best way to Use WDYM
If you wish to add WDYM in your texts, merely use it to interchange “What do you imply?” if you’re attempting to make clear one thing complicated. You may write it in each uppercase or lowercase, nonetheless, the lowercase “wdym” is considerably extra fashionable.
Listed here are a couple of examples of this web slang time period in motion:
- “I don’t get it, wdym?”
- “WDYM by that?”
- “Are you positive about that? wdym”
- “You’re not making any sense, wdym?”
Do you need to be taught a couple of different web acronyms? Try our items on LMK, SGTM, and TBH, and also you’ll be a connoisseur of web slang earlier than you understand it.
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