Slang dictionary

savage AF

or savage af or savage as fuck [ sav-ij ey-ef ] or [ sav-ij az fuhk ]

What does savage AF mean?

On the internet, savage AF is a slang way to characterize something as extremely good, brutally honest, or as a ruthless takedown.

Related words

throwing shade, burn meme, clapback, big mood

Where does savage AF come from?

Savage AF brings together two slang terms. The first is savage, which has meant “brutal” or “aggressive” since the 1500s. Since at least the 1990s, savage has also been slang for “excellent” (à la fierce or wicked). It has especially come to describe a remark as hilariously but ruthlessly on point.

The second is AF, often lowercased as af and standing for as fuck. As fuck is an intensifying phrase used since the late 1970s. It’s been abbreviated, and mildly censored, as AF in text messages and on social media since the late 2000s.

Together, savage AF have been doubling down on the intensity since at least 2009, when savage AF debuts on Twitter. Early uses of savage AF describe something as extremely good, a use that continued into the 2010s.

In the mid-2010s, though, savage AF particularly spread as a way to characterize observations, jokes, insults, and comebacks, the kind that make you put a fist to your mouth … “Oh, no he didn’t!”

In this way, savage AF is a response to a clapback or mic drop—that sizzling species of burns that inspires true awe. The slang initially sized up genuine disses, such as a rap battle barb or a Taylor Swift snipe, but the internet quickly appropriated it for more light-hearted humor and commentary.

awwmemes.com

When someone is savage AF, they’re basically speaking their mind with a badass lack of regard for how it looks or the fallout—like Chrissy Teigen trolling Donald Trump on Twitter.

Examples of savage AF

2pac was savage af on "Hit Em Up" lol.
@BELIEVEINTHEGLO, July, 2013
"On your best day you're not as smart as I am on my worst day". SAVAGE AF
@Ash__Attack, May, 2018

21 Kids Who Are More Savage Than You’ll Ever Be...When kids stop being cute and start getting real.

Sandra Mendez, BuzzFeed (headline and sub-headline), September, 2016
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Who uses savage AF?

Online, savage AF widely characterizes someone who is being brutally honest …

… or someone who won’t put up with anyone’s nonsense.

This tell-it-like-it-is, truth-to-power savage AF-ery is generally seen as a positive quality, that a person is being real, even if it stings.

People especially like to slap savage AF on funny memes, takedown tweets, or celebrity rivalries, whether between Drake and Pusha-T or Chik-fil-A and Wendy’s.

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Note

This is not meant to be a formal definition of savage AF 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 savage AF that will help our users expand their word mastery.