Whack

American Slang Term American ★★★★☆ Common Casual
Practice this with flashcards, quizzes & audio on WordLoci

Meaning: Bad, messed up, unfair, or out of line — something that is wrong or unacceptable.

差劲、离谱、不公平、太过分——形容某事不对劲或令人无法接受。
Malo, chungo, injusto o fuera de lugar — algo que está mal o es inaceptable.
ダメ、おかしい、不公平、ありえない — 何かが間違っていたり受け入れられないこと。
별로인, 엉망인, 불공평한, 도를 넘은 — 뭔가가 잘못되었거나 받아들일 수 없는 것.

Whack (also 'wack') is NYC slang for anything that's wrong, unfair, or terrible. 'That's whack' is a versatile dismissal — the prices are whack, the weather is whack, his behavior is whack. It gained national popularity through hip-hop but remains deeply rooted in NYC speech.

Whack(也拼作wack)是纽约俚语,形容任何不对劲、不公平或糟糕的事。'That's whack'是万能的否定——价格离谱、天气差劲、他的行为太过分。这个词通过嘻哈音乐传遍全国,但仍然深深扎根于纽约人的日常用语中。
'Whack' (también 'wack') es argot de NYC para cualquier cosa que sea injusta, incorrecta o terrible. 'That's whack' es un rechazo versátil: los precios son whack, el tiempo es whack, su comportamiento es whack. Ganó popularidad nacional a través del hip-hop, pero sigue profundamente arraigado en el habla neoyorquina.
Whack(「wack」とも)は、間違っている、不公平、またはひどいものすべてに使えるNYCスラング。「That's whack(ありえない)」は万能の否定表現 — 値段がありえない、天気がありえない、彼の態度がありえない。ヒップホップを通じて全国的に広まったが、NYCの話し言葉に深く根ざしている。
'Whack' (또는 'wack')은 잘못되었거나 불공평하거나 끔찍한 모든 것에 쓰는 NYC 슬랭이다. 'That's whack'은 다용도 거부 표현이다 — 가격이 whack, 날씨가 whack, 그의 행동이 whack. 힙합을 통해 전국적으로 알려졌지만 NYC 언어에 깊이 뿌리내린 표현이다.

Examples

  1. Fifty bucks for parking? That's whack.
    停车费50美元?太离谱了吧。
    ¿Cincuenta pavos por aparcar? Eso es una pasada de malo.
    駐車場に50ドル?ありえないだろ。
    주차비가 50달러? 말도 안 돼.
  2. The way they treated her was totally whack.
    他们那样对她完全太过分了。
    La forma en que la trataron fue totalmente inaceptable.
    彼女に対する扱いは完全にありえなかった。
    그녀를 대하는 방식은 완전 말도 안 됐어.
  3. This pizza is whack — it tastes like cardboard.
    这披萨太差了——吃着跟纸板似的。
    Esta pizza es un asco — sabe a cartón.
    このピザはダメだ — ダンボールみたいな味がする。
    이 피자는 별로야 — 골판지 맛이 나.

Pronunciation

Usage Guide

Context: complaints, judgments, casual conversation

Tone: dismissive, critical

✓ Do Say

  • That's whack.
    太离谱了。
    Eso es una basura.
    ありえないだろ。
    그건 말도 안 돼.
  • The situation is mad whack.
    这情况简直离了大谱。
    La situación es totalmente inaceptable.
    状況がマジでありえない。
    상황이 완전 엉망이야.

✗ Don't Say

  • Don't confuse with 'whacked' (as in killed, mob slang) — they're related but different meanings
    别跟'whacked'(被干掉,黑帮用语)搞混——它们有关联但意思不同
    No confundir con 'whacked' (como en asesinado, argot mafioso) — están relacionados pero tienen significados diferentes
    「whacked」(殺された、マフィア用語)と混同しないこと — 関連はあるが異なる意味
    'whacked'(죽임을 당한, 조폭 용어)와 혼동하지 말 것——관련은 있지만 의미가 다름

Origin & History

From NYC hip-hop culture of the 1980s-1990s. Likely derived from 'out of whack' (not working properly). Kris Kross's 1992 hit 'Jump' used 'wiggedy wiggedy wiggedy wack.' The term became a staple NYC dismissal, spreading nationally through hip-hop.

Cultural Context

Era: 1980s-1990s

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal

Regional notes: New York City — hip-hop origin, now used nationally

More From This Topic

The city ★★★★★ Manhattan — used by people in the outer boroughs, suburbs... Fuggedaboutit ★★★★★ Forget about it — a multi-purpose expression that can mea... Pie (pizza) ★★★★★ A whole pizza — in NYC, ordering a 'pie' means a full piz... Slice ★★★★★ A single piece of pizza, sold individually at NYC pizza s... The train ★★★★★ The subway — New Yorkers call the subway 'the train,' not... Uptown ★★★★★ The northern part of Manhattan; also used as a direction ...
X / Twitter WhatsApp Facebook

More from Regional: Northeast / NYC

Practice "Whack" on WordLoci

Flashcards, quizzes, audio pronunciation & spaced repetition — all free