sigma

What it means

A self-reliant, lone-wolf type who supposedly succeeds outside the usual social hierarchy and doesn't seek approval. The term is mostly used ironically now, mocking the 'grindset' macho archetype it originally described.

Words like “sigma” are exactly the kind of vocabulary our English vocabulary size test measures — find out how many English words you know.

Examples

• He eats lunch alone every day, certified sigma behavior.
• Look at this sigma ignoring everyone and grinding in silence.
• Bro thinks skipping the party makes him a sigma male.
• Pure sigma move walking off without saying goodbye.

Where it comes from

Coined within manosphere and 'alpha male' internet culture in the late 2010s, then flipped into an ironic meme on TikTok around 2022, often paired with edits and 'sigma rule' captions.

Related slang