What's The Deal With Everyone Saying 'Delulu'?
HuffPost
For many Gen Z-ers and millennials, delulu is 100% the solulu to life's problems.
Think you’re going to get that 25% raise you requested in this economy? Delulu.
Convinced that the good-looking guy you see on your daily walk is smiling at you and not your dog, whom he’s clearly making direct eye contact with every time? Delulu.
Believe that this is the year you’ll end up on Forbes 30 Under 30, all while traveling the world like you’re Anthony Bourdain incarnate? Definitely delulu, but we love that for you.
In case you hadn’t noticed, the word “delulu” is everywhere lately. On TikTok, videos with the word have more than five billion views. Places like The New York Times and The Guardian have published explainers on the phrase. And your 15-year-old niece will almost certainly use it at the dinner table this Christmas.
On the surface, delulu is just an abbreviated version of delusional. If you’re delulu, you have a false or unrealistic belief or opinion on something. The shorthand was first used in K-pop fandom culture to describe fans’ parasocial relationships with the genre’s stars. (“It might be delulu, but I think I’d have a chance with Jungkook if we ever met.”)
