Approval & Compliments

American slang for expressing approval, praise, and admiration

Introduction

In American English, there are dozens of ways to say something is great. From classic terms like "awesome" to newer slang like "fire" and "bussin", the language of approval is always evolving.

This chapter covers the slang Americans use to compliment, praise, and express approval — essential for understanding casual American conversation.

Themes

All American Slang & Idioms in This Chapter (93)

• Fire Something extremely good, impressive, or exciting.
• Sick Extremely cool, impressive, or amazing — the opposite of its literal meaning.
• Dope Excellent, cool, or impressive.
• Lit Extremely fun, exciting, or excellent.
• GOAT Greatest of All Time — the absolute best in a particular field.
• Bussin' Extremely good, especially used for food but applicable to anything impressive.
• Slaps Something that is extremely good, especially music or food.
• Hits different Something that is uniquely good or has a special, elevated quality compared t...
• Chef's kiss An expression indicating that something is perfect or flawless.
• Killing it Doing something exceptionally well or succeeding at a high level.
• Crushing it Performing at an exceptionally high level or achieving great success.
• Beast mode A state of intense, unstoppable performance or effort.
• Baller Someone who is impressive, successful, or living a lavish lifestyle.
• Boss Impressive, commanding, or someone who handles things with authority and conf...
• Badass Extremely tough, impressive, or formidable in an admirable way.
• Clutch Coming through with exactly what is needed at the most critical moment.
• MVP Most Valuable Player — the person who contributed the most or was the best in...
• Legendary So impressive or remarkable that it will be remembered and talked about.
• Epic Extraordinarily impressive, grand, or memorable.
• The bomb Excellent, outstanding, or the best of its kind.
• Fresh Cool, stylish, or new in an appealing way.
• Fly Stylish, attractive, or impressively cool.
• Banger Something excellent, especially a song, party, or event that is extremely good.
• Goes hard Something that is intensely good, powerful, or impressive.
• Straight fire Absolutely excellent with no reservations — an intensified version of 'fire.'
• No cap For real, no lie — used to emphasize that something is genuinely true or impr...
• Valid Correct, understandable, or worthy of approval — confirming that something is...
• Based Admirable for being unapologetically oneself, especially when expressing unpo...
• Taking a W Achieving a win or success — the opposite of taking an L (loss).
• Built different Possessing unique talent or qualities that set someone apart from everyone else.
• Goated Being the greatest of all time in something — the adjective form of GOAT.
• Slay To do something exceptionally well, to look amazing, or to dominate.
• Ate that Performed something flawlessly — consumed the moment and left nothing behind.
• Served Delivered an impressive performance or look — presented excellence to others.
• Snapped Did something amazingly well — went above and beyond expectations.
• Popping off Getting exciting, performing impressively, or starting to blow up with success.
• Sheesh An exclamation of admiration, disbelief, or being impressed.
• Gassing up Enthusiastically complimenting or hyping someone up to boost their confidence.
• Hype up To build excitement and enthusiasm around something or someone.
• Props Respect, recognition, or credit given for an achievement.
• Shoutout A public expression of recognition, gratitude, or promotion for someone.
• Big ups Respect, praise, or congratulations given to someone.
• Real one A genuinely loyal, authentic, and trustworthy person.
• Stand-up A morally upright, reliable person who does the right thing.
• On fleek Perfectly styled, flawlessly executed, or looking exceptionally good.
• Swag Confident style, cool demeanor, or an aura of effortless coolness.
• Drip Extremely stylish clothing, accessories, or overall appearance.
• Clean Smooth, well-executed, or impressively neat in appearance or execution.
• Smooth Effortlessly cool, charming, or skillfully executed without visible effort.
• Finesse To handle something with exceptional skill, charm, or cleverness.
• A1 Top quality, first-rate, the best possible.
• Top-tier Of the highest quality or rank — the best of the best.
• Top-notch Of the highest quality or standard.
• Primo First-rate, premium quality, the best available.
• That's money Perfect, exactly right, or executed flawlessly.
• Golden Perfect, ideal, or in an excellent situation.
• Gnarly Impressively extreme, intense, or awesome — especially in action sports conte...
• Rad Cool, excellent, or impressive — short for radical.
• Flames Excellent, hot, or extremely impressive.
• Raw Impressively authentic, unfiltered, or powerful in an unpolished way.
• Cold-blooded Impressively ruthless in execution, devastatingly effective or skilled.
• Bringing the heat Delivering intense, high-quality performance or creating strong competition.
• Stunting Showing off one's success, wealth, or style in an impressive way.
• Flexing Showing off one's achievements, possessions, or skills to impress others.
• Gem Something or someone exceptionally valuable, special, or wonderful — often un...
• Next level Far surpassing expectations or normal standards — a significant step above.
• Off the charts So extreme or impressive that it exceeds any normal measurement.
• Out of this world So amazing that it seems beyond earthly standards.
• The real deal Genuinely excellent, authentic, and not a fake or imitation.
• Insane Amazingly good, unbelievably impressive — so good it defies logic.
• Absolute unit Something or someone impressively large, powerful, or formidable.
• That hits That resonates strongly, that is exactly what was needed, or that is really g...
• Elite Of the highest caliber, belonging to the top percentage in quality or skill.
• Unreal So impressive or amazing that it seems impossible.
• Mad respect Deep, genuine admiration and respect for someone or their accomplishment.
• Certified Officially established, proven, or authenticated as the real thing.
• On another level Far superior to everything else, operating at a completely different standard.
• Built for this Naturally suited for a task or situation, as if designed specifically for it.
• Gas Something excellent, exciting, or highly enjoyable.
• Giving Emanating or exuding a particular impressive quality or aesthetic.
• Period An emphatic statement of finality — end of discussion, that is the absolute t...
• Immaculate Absolutely flawless, perfect without a single flaw or blemish.
• Crispy Clean, sharp, and well-executed — looking fresh and precise.
• Mint In perfect condition, flawless, or excellent.
• Money moves Smart, strategic actions that lead to financial or personal success.
• Main character energy The confident, standout quality of someone who lives as if they're the protag...
• Stan To be an extremely devoted fan of someone, or to strongly support and admire ...
• Iconic So memorable, influential, or perfect that it deserves to be legendary.
• Goals Something so admirable or desirable that it represents what you aspire to.
• Power move A bold, impressive action that demonstrates confidence and strategic thinking.
• Dialed in Perfectly focused, precisely calibrated, or performing at peak accuracy.
• Locked in Fully committed and intensely focused on achieving a goal.
• No notes Perfect as is — wouldn't change a single thing.