Tiếng Việt · Word Attested

ô dề

[ʔo˧˧ ze˨˩]

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

Sense 1

Meaning · English

(adjective) vulgar; crude; embarrassing

Register: informal

Where it’s used: Used Miền Trung · Central Vietnam • Wiktionary labels this sense “Central”

Sources & notes

Imported from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29); community review pending. source ↗

Sense 2

Meaning · English

(adjective) ridiculous; over-the-top

Register: informal

Sense 3

Meaning · English

Over the top; doing the absolute most — extra to the point of comedy.

Literally: Mangled from English “over”.

How to use it

✓ Use it when

Quoting the meme: “làm quá nó ô dề” — overdo it and it gets ridiculous.

Register: informalConnotation: humorousEra: ~2021 – present

Where it’s used: Used Toàn quốc & hải ngoại · Vietnam-wide & diaspora Origin Mạng xã hội · Vietnamese internet culture

Examples

Sinh nhật chó cưng mà thuê cả ban nhạc, ô dề thật sự.Hiring a live band for the dog’s birthday — genuinely over the top.

Editorial example (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)

Sources & notes

Curated editorially (owner-requested humorous-slang research, July 2026). From a viral 2021 video (“làm quá nó ô dề”). Era: ~2021 – present.

Equivalents & related

Near equivalent over the top Excessive or exaggerated beyond what is normal English Near equivalent to the point Direct and concise, without unnecessary detail English Near equivalent khẩn trương (adjective) quick, resolute, to the point, without hesitation or dilly-dallying Tiếng Việt · via to the point Near equivalent mửa mật (adverb) with much effort, to the point of exhaustion Tiếng Việt · via to the point Near equivalent tê dại (adjective) stiff to the point of becoming senseless or paralyzed Tiếng Việt · via to the point Near equivalent cù nhây (adjective) joking around; fooling around (to the point of being annoying) Tiếng Việt · via to the point Near equivalent đường đột (adjective) too sudden or abrupt, to the point of being shocking, uncalled for, or even rude Tiếng Việt · via to the point Near equivalent nghèo đói (adjective) so poor up to the point of having no food Tiếng Việt · via to the point Near equivalent rẻ mạt (adjective) cheap almost to the point of being worthless; dirt-cheap Tiếng Việt · via to the point Near equivalent đại sự (adverb) a lot, repeatedly, to the point of excessively Tiếng Việt · via to the point Near equivalent ê hề (adjective) in great abundance to the point that one feels unable to use all of said abundant thing Tiếng Việt · via to the point Near equivalent mất ăn mất ngủ overthinking, worrying, and stressing out to the point of not eating or sleeping well Tiếng Việt · via to the point Near equivalent từa lưa (adjective) having been excreted excessively to the point of making the face of the person crying look messy Tiếng Việt · via to the point Near equivalent long sòng sọc (adjective) extremely intense, to the point of popping blood vessels Tiếng Việt · via to the point Near equivalent sít sao (adjective) quick; resolute; to the point; without hesitation or dilly-dallying; continuous Tiếng Việt · via to the point Near equivalent tối tăm mặt mũi (adverb) being to heavily burdened by greater workload than one can withstand, nearly to the point of exhaustion, being overwhelmed Tiếng Việt · via to the point Near equivalent dày cộp (adjective) excessively thick (to the point of being cumbersome) Tiếng Việt · via to the point Near equivalent tham sinh uý tử to value one's life so much to the point of being cowardly Tiếng Việt · via to the point Near equivalent mụ mị (adjective) worn out to the point of being dazed Tiếng Việt · via to the point

Lighter cards are two steps away in the meaning graph — equivalents of equivalents, reached via the entry shown on the card.

Topics: Gen Z slang

Common questions

What does “ô dề” mean?

(adjective) vulgar; crude; embarrassing

Is “ô dề” formal or informal?

ô dề is generally informal.

What is the closest equivalent?

“over the top” (English) — near equivalent.