LOL

This article is about the internet slang initialism. For other uses, see LOL (disambiguation).
"Laugh out loud" redirects here. For the radio show, see Laugh Out Loud (radio). For the TV series, see Laugh Out Loud (TV series).

Use of "lol" in a conversation

LOL, or lol, is an initialism for laughing out loud,[1][2][3][4] and a popular element of Internet slang, which can be used to indicate amusement, irony, or double meanings.[5] It was first used almost exclusively on Usenet, but has since become widespread in other forms of computer-mediated communication and even face-to-face communication. It is one of many initialisms for expressing bodily reactions, in particular laughter, as text, including initialisms for more emphatic expressions of laughter such as LMAO[6] ("laughing my ass off") and ROFL[7][8][9] or ROTFL[10][11] ("rolling on the floor laughing").

In 2003, the list of acronyms was said to "grow by the month",[8] and they were collected along with emoticons and smileys into folk dictionaries that are circulated informally amongst users of Usenet, IRC, and other forms of (textual) computer-mediated communication.[12] These initialisms are controversial, and several authors[13][14][15][16] recommend against their use, either in general or in specific contexts such as business communications. The Oxford English Dictionary first listed LOL in March 2011.[17]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Haig2001 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Franzini2002 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Egan2004 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Meltzer2011 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ McCulloch, Gretchen (July 23, 2019). Because Internet. Riverhead Books. ISBN 9780735210936.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference NetlingoLMAO was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Goudelocke2004 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Hershock2003 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Shortis2001 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference RaymondSteele1996 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference WilliamsCummiungs1993 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference Jones1998 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference LacettiStevens2003 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference SIT2003 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference FondillerNerone2007 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference YunkerBarry2006 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ Anna Stewart (March 25, 2011). "OMG! Oxford English Dictionary adds new words". CNN. Archived from the original on April 1, 2011. Retrieved March 28, 2011.