Karen
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈkæɹən/
ipa: /ˈkæɹən/
ipa: /ˈkɛɹən/
rhymes: -æɹən
rhymes: -ɛɹən
rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)n
homophone: caron
homophone: caring (weak vowel merger, g-dropping)
homophone: cairn
homophone: carn stripped-by-parse_pron_post_template_fn
Forms: form: Karens
form: Caren
form: Caron
form: Caryn
form: Karin
form: Karyn
Etymology: From Danish Karen, a vernacular form of Catherine that arose in medieval Denmark. The sense "middle-aged woman" comes from the popularity of the name among baby boomers and Gen-Xers. The derogatory usage was popularized via African-American Vernacular English.
Senses: examples: text: “I pull out the dog treats I carry for just for such intransigence,” he wrote. “That’s when I started video recording with my iPhone, and when her inner Karen fully emerged and took a dark turn,” he said, using the name that has become slang for an entitled white woman.
ref: 2020 May 26, Sarah Maslin Nir, quoting Christian Cooper, “White Woman Is Fired After Calling Police on Black Man in Central Park”, in The New York Times:
text: It was through that performance that Amy Cooper took on the mantle of an American archetype: the white woman who weaponizes her vulnerability to exact violence upon a Black man. […] In 2020, she is simply Karen.
ref: 2020 December 27, Julia Carrie Wong, “The year of Karen: how a meme changed the way Americans talked about racism”, in The Guardian:
text: “If I lived Chloe’s life, where she was walking around with other wealthy people basically being upper-class Karens having a fit when their dogs aren’t allowed at yoga, then I might understand,” he said.
ref: 2024 February 2, Alaina Demopoulos, quoting Jeremy, “‘I’m annoying, to some degree’: New York’s dog owners debate Chloë Sevigny’s anti-pup take”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
text: He plays a suburban homeowner who loves nothing more than to snitch on his fellow whites, calling the cops on any Caucasian who steps foot on his lawn, be they old lady, a girl scout, or Colin Jost. Charlie xcx gets in on the action as his proud Karen of a wife.
ref: 2024 November 17, Zach Vasquez, “Saturday Night Live: Charli xcx has fun in otherwise middle of the road episode”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
coordinate_terms: Darren
glosses: A middle-aged white woman who exhibits a strong sense of white privilege and entitlement—often rooted in racism against minority races—and frequently targets or antagonizes individuals who face greater societal challenges or must work significantly harder than she.
examples: text: This Karen threatened to get me fired if I didn't give her a free meal.
text: 2021 Adam Korson as Phil Orley in "Ft. Ghost Child", episode five of SurrealEstate
The organization wasn't meeting my needs, so I became a total Karen and asked to see the manager. He wasn't available so I took my business elsewhere.
glosses: Any person, especially female, exhibiting an exaggerated sense of entitlement.
Derived terms: sense: terms derived from Karen (entitled woman or person)
word: Karen haircut
sense: terms derived from Karen (entitled woman or person)
word: Karenhood
sense: terms derived from Karen (entitled woman or person)
word: Karenicity
sense: terms derived from Karen (entitled woman or person)
word: Karenism
sense: terms derived from Karen (entitled woman or person)
english: a female QAnon supporter
translation: a female QAnon supporter
word: Qaren
sense: terms derived from Karen (entitled woman or person)
alt: pejorative nickname for Elon Musk
word: Space Karen
Related terms: gammon
Miss Ann