based
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Originated from rapper Lil B The BasedGod, who defined it as "...being yourself. Not being scared of what people think about you. Not being afraid to do what you wanna do." More contemporary use has been to express approval of someone or agreeing with another's opinion. Similar to W.
Register: informalEra: 2020s
Sources & notes
Adapted from Wikipedia “Glossary of 2020s slang” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30). US Gen Z / internet usage.
Common questions
What does “based” mean?
Originated from rapper Lil B The BasedGod, who defined it as "...being yourself. Not being scared of what people think about you. Not being afraid to do what you wanna do." More contemporary use has been to express approval of someone or agreeing with another's opinion. Similar to W.
Is “based” formal or informal?
based is generally informal.