Shook

The Bridge: Gen-Z remixes the tense of certain words to emphasize their intensity.

Past Tense

Gen-Z may be a lot of things, but hyperbolic isn’t one of them. If you’ve been keeping up with your weekly Lingo lessons, it’s easy to spot the less-is-more attitude our kids apply to language. Basically, words that reveal an emotional response are a no-go, and this weeks word – Shook – is no exception.

How can we best describe it…

Shook is the feeling you get when your favorite influencer follows you back on Tik Tok. It’s the rush of adrenaline from almost getting caught sneaking out, or being stunned into silence when your bestie tells you how they hooked up with your secret crush – we all know the feeling.

“Shook” lets whoever you’re talking to know that you’re shocked but still cool. Duh.

Use our guide below to learn how to use shook:

• “I’m shook” – I’m surprised by this information/event.
• “She was shook when I showed up” – She was visibly disturbed by my presence.

• “New _____ album release tonight, shook” – I’m super excited about this album release, it’s almost too much to bear.

• “Don’t be shook” – Don’t be surprised by this information/event. Similar to “I told you so”. 

• “Shook” – One word text reply to shocking info or an amazing selfie.

Let us know if our posts have you shook in the @thegenbridge comments!