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Slang file #017RisingInternet culture

What does aura mean?

Say itOR-uh/ˈɔːr.ə/noun

A cool, confident, impressive quality that a person seems to give off, like star power.

Written by the Second Language TeamWritten

In slang, aura is the cool, confident, impressive quality that someone seems to give off: their star power. If a soccer player stays calm and wins every ball, fans say he has aura. Merriam-Webster’s dictionary now lists this sense: "the quality of being impressively cool, charming, or appealing" [1]. You will see it in comments under sports clips, on TikTok, and in group chats, often with joke scores like "+100 aura" or "-1000 aura".

Say it OR-uh, the same way as the ordinary English word. It is very casual and friendly, not rude. Most people who use it this way are teens and young adults online. Many older people know only the older meanings of the word.

Word stats

How casual
Very casual. It lives in comments, chats, and videos, not in emails.
OK at work
Fine as a joke with a coworker who uses it too. In a meeting, say "presence" or "confidence" instead.
Grandma-safe
Completely harmless, but older relatives may think you are talking about colors and crystals.
Cringe risk
Medium. Used lightly, it sounds fun. Keeping a serious aura score for every friend will cost you aura.
Freshness
More people look it up every year. Right now, the word aura has a lot of aura.

Spotted in the wild

Group chat · Monday, 8:15 am
  1. Junjust sat in the wrong class for 10 minutes before i noticed
  2. Ana-5000 aura 💀
  3. Youyou can win it back if you leave slowly and confidently
  4. Juntoo late. the teacher asked my name

What it means here: Jun did something embarrassing, so his friends joke that he lost a lot of cool points.

Comments under a soccer clip
  1. goalgoalgoalbro didn’t even run. he just took the ball. pure aura
  2. nina.fche walked onto the field and the other team got nervous
  3. deshawn_23the aura on this man is unreal

What it means here: Fans praise the player because he looks calm, confident, and great at his sport without even trying.

Text with Mom
  1. Youmy new boss has crazy aura
  2. MomLike a glow? Is she spiritual?
  3. Youno lol. like she walks in and everyone sits up straighter
  4. MomAh. Your grandpa had that.

What it means here: You mean your boss seems strong and impressive. Mom first hears the older, spiritual meaning.

How to use it

  • have (so much) auraShe doesn’t talk much in class, but she has so much aura.
  • + / - number + auraTripped on the stairs in front of everyone. -1000 aura.
  • gain / lose auraYou lose aura every time you explain your own joke.
  • the aura (as a reaction)He hit the winning shot and just walked away. The aura.
  • aura farming / farm auraSunglasses inside at night? He’s aura farming again.

Don’t say it like this

  • Sounds offHe is so aura.

    Say thisHe has so much aura.

    In slang, aura is a noun: something a person has. It is not an adjective that describes them.

  • Sounds offShe has an aura. (meaning "she is cool")

    Say thisShe has aura.

    With "an", people expect the older meaning and wait for more, like "an aura of calm". The slang sense usually drops the article.

  • Sounds off"OW-rah"

    Say this"OR-uh"

    English aura does not sound like Spanish or Italian aura. The first part sounds like "or", and the end is a soft "uh".

  • Sounds offCover letter: "I bring strong aura to every team."

    Say thisCover letter: "I bring confidence and energy to every team."

    Slang does not belong in formal writing, and a hiring manager may think you mean something spiritual.

aura or not?

Is each of these aura? Pick an answer to find out.

  1. Your friend misses the bus, says "I’ll walk" very calmly, and still gets to class first.

  2. Before a migraine, you see flashing lights for a few minutes.

  3. A basketball player hits the winning shot and walks off the court without celebrating.

  4. You wave back at someone, but they were waving at the person behind you.

The aura family

  • aura pointsA pretend score that goes up when you do something cool and down when you do something embarrassing.Nobody keeps the score, but everybody knows when you lose some.
  • aura farmingDoing something on purpose to look cool, often in a calm, posed way. Often said to tease someone who is trying too hard.Staring out a rainy window in slow motion. The harvest is going well.
  • vibeThe general feeling a person or place gives off.Everyone has a vibe. Aura is a vibe that wins.

Where it came from

  1. Early 2020sThe slang sense grows out of the older meaning, a special feeling or "vibe" a person gives off. It spreads online, mostly to describe athletes who show great skill in their sport [2].
  2. 2023–2024Aura becomes popular online. It first caught on in soccer and basketball fan communities on X (Twitter), likely because fans praised Liverpool player Virgil van Dijk for his "aura" [3].
  3. 2024In May, jokes about gaining and losing "aura points" spread on TikTok [3]. By summer, aura is viral, with videos counting how many points someone wins or loses in smooth or awkward moments [2].
  4. TodayMerriam-Webster’s main dictionary includes the slang sense [1], and the joke scores keep getting bigger.

Which aura is it?

English had the word aura long before the slang, and it still has several meanings. Context usually tells you which one you are reading.

MeaningExampleWhere you see it
Slang: a cool, impressive presence"He scored and didn’t even smile. Aura."Comments, chats, TikTok
Standard: a feeling around a person or place"The old house had an aura of mystery."Books, news, everyday English
Medical: a warning sign before a migraine or seizure"I see flashing lights during my aura."Doctors, health websites
New Age: colored energy around a body"She says my aura is blue."Spiritual shops and websites

Grammar gives you a clue. The standard meaning usually takes "an" and often "of": "an aura of calm". The slang meaning usually has no "a" or "an": "he has aura", "so much aura", "-500 aura".

Sources

  1. AURA Definition & MeaningMerriam-Webster
  2. AURA Slang MeaningMerriam-Webster
  3. Aura (Slang)Know Your Meme, added May 16, 2024; updated August 21, 2024

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