Street voices
Haley
·
United States
"I'm high-key obsessed with this song. High-key can mean, like, very openly, feeling very strongly, like it's well known about you or about this topic. I'm American. I'm from the United States."
What it means
The opposite of lowkey. If you highkey want something, you're not keeping it chill or subtle, you're admitting it loudly and proudly. Works as an intensifier meaning openly, obviously, no pretending. Big in memes, TikTok captions, and group chats when everyone’s done with nuance and just wants to say the truth out loud.
Usage examples
"I highkey need a holiday, mate. Been on Skyscanner since breakfast and my Monzo balance is glaring at me like I'm doing something illegal."
"I'm highkey obsessed with that new series, watched the whole thing twice in a week, no shame."
"She highkey wants the promotion but keeps pretending she's not bothered either way."
"I highkey don't care if it's cringe, I'm wearing the boots anyway."
"We're all highkey rooting for her, nobody's even trying to play it cool."
Where it comes from
It grew online as the louder counterpart to lowkey. Both come from older terms like high-key and low-key in photography and lighting, where they describe brighter versus more muted looks. On social media and in chat slang, highkey shifted into an intensifier meaning openly, obviously, or very much.
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
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