Pop Culture dictionary

Swiftie

[ swift-ee ]

What does Swiftie mean?

The term Swiftie refers to a fan of musician Taylor Swift. It is commonly used as a self-identifying term by Swift fans and by others to refer to Swift fans. Calling someone a Swiftie often implies that they are a very passionate and loyal fan—as opposed to just a casual listener. 

The plural form Swifties is used to refer to her fan base collectively. 

Example: Taylor Swift’s Eras tour has thrilled Swifties and brought even more into the community.

Where does Swiftie come from?

woman; taylor new

The term Swiftie is formed from Taylor Swift’s last name. It follows an established convention of creating a word for a fan by adding -ie to the end of a word for the subject of someone’s fandom, such as in the older words groupie (a general term for a passionate fan) and Trekkie (a fan of Star Trek). This application of the -ie ending likely grew out of even earlier uses to form endearing or familiar names (Millie, Susie) or familiar diminutives (sweetie). 

Taylor Swift fans have referred to themselves as Swifties since at least early 2010. 

 

Taylor Swift herself has been aware of the Swiftie term since at least 2012 and has expressed support for it in interviews. In 2017, Taylor Swift’s brand trademarked the term Swiftie for commercial usage.

Examples of Swiftie

is it just me or does it feel like 75% of the worlds population became a Swiftie overnight
@jemimaskelley, July 11, 2023
The tent stayed anyway, occupied by a rotating cast of 30 die-hard Swifties who worked together over 163 days to hold their spots in line for a chance to get as close as possible to their idol when she walked onstage Thursday in the first stop of her Eras Tour outside North America.
Jack Nicas, The New York Times, November 2023

Who uses Swiftie?

The term Swiftie is commonly used to refer to a fan of Taylor Swift, both by fans themselves and by others. The plural form Swifties is commonly used to refer to her fan base collectively. 

Just Added

Earth Day, yassification, ♈ Aries Emoji, Autism Acceptance Month, Autism Awareness Month

Note

This is not meant to be a formal definition of Swiftie like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of Swiftie that will help our users expand their word mastery.

  • Other categories