What it means
A Jamaican Patois word for feeling good, settled, and at ease. If you're irie, life isn't just okay, it's flowing nice. People use it for their mood, but also for a moment, a place, or the general energy when everything feels calm, warm, and right.
Usage examples
"Wah gwan? Mi deh yah, irie. Sun a shine, likkle breeze a blow, and di whole crew ready fi hit di beach later."
"Sun's out, music's on, everything's irie down at the beach today."
"Once the exams were done I felt properly irie, no stress, just good vibes all weekend."
"You good now? Yeah man, I'm irie, just needed food and a likkle rest."
"The yard was proper irie last night, tunes playing, everybody liming, no bad energy at all."
Where it comes from
Irie comes from Jamaican Patois and is closely tied to Rastafari speech and reggae culture. It was already in Jamaican use in the 20th century and got carried far beyond the island through music. In use, it means more than fine. It's a peaceful, uplifted, all-good state of mind.
Editors of this term
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