Triggered (adjective / modern slang)
(Also heard as: Proper triggered, Getting triggered, Easily triggered)
Definition:
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Losing your head, getting massively rattled, or getting bent out of shape over something minor.
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The real clinical meaning: having a severe emotional or panic reaction caused by past trauma.
Pronunciation: /ˈtrɪɡ.əd/
Where It Comes From: Therapists and psychologists coined it first to explain how specific sights or sounds set off intense PTSD flashbacks. Fast-forward to the 2010s: Tumblr and early social media started using “trigger warnings” on posts. The wider internet quickly hijacked the phrase, and it didn’t take long before online trolls turned it into a weapon to take the mickey out of anyone who got visibly annoyed in the comments.
How People Actually Use It: Heard all over the shop whenever someone loses their cool. You’ll see it under YouTube videos when someone drops an angry rant, or in group chats when your mate spits feathers because their team conceded in stoppage time. Basically, if somebody’s blood boils over something relatively harmless, they’re triggered.
Examples in the Wild:
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“Brought up the derby game and he got proper triggered about the referee.”
Translation: Mentioning the match made him lose his rag over a bad foul.
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“Leave him to it, replying will only make him more triggered.”
Translation: Stop messaging him, you’re just going to make him angrier.
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“Wrote a whole novel in the replies over a simple meme—he’s well and truly triggered.”
Translation: He took an obvious joke far too seriously and made a scene.
Similar Slang: Rattled, Fuming, Pressed, Salty, Wound up, Losing the plot
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