sigma
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
A lone-wolf winner — Gen Z shorthand for someone impressively self-reliant or coolly aloof, now used as often ironically as sincerely ("so sigma").
Register: informalEra: ~2021 – present
Sources & notes
From the "sigma male" internet archetype; documented in vnexpress.net "6-7 đứng đầu danh sách từ ngữ gây ức chế nhất năm" and Lake Superior State University's 2026 banished-words list coverage (retrieved 2026-07-31).
Common questions
What does “sigma” mean?
A lone-wolf winner — Gen Z shorthand for someone impressively self-reliant or coolly aloof, now used as often ironically as sincerely ("so sigma").
Is “sigma” formal or informal?
sigma is generally informal.