giving

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Meaning · English

Awesome, outstanding, radiating, stunning; exceeding expectations. (Probably derived from earlier transitive use of give (“give off [a certain vibe or appearance]”), as in this outfit gives ‘college girl’, that one is giving ‘old Hollywood’.)

Register: slang

Where it’s used: Used American English

Examples

Your outfit is giving!

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “giving” mean?

Awesome, outstanding, radiating, stunning; exceeding expectations. (Probably derived from earlier transitive use of give (“give off [a certain vibe or appearance]”), as in this outfit gives ‘college girl’, that one is giving ‘old Hollywood’.)

Is “giving” formal or informal?

giving is generally slang.