What does “BFD” mean and how do you use it?

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Did you write about your achievements just to have someone call them “BFD”? Sometimes BFD is not as big a job as it seems. Here’s what this sarcastic internet slang term means and how to use it.

Big F *** ing Deal

BFD means “big fucking deal”. This is the initialism that people on the Internet use to describe something that is very important or a “big deal”. You can find this acronym online at direct message between friends, social media posts or memet. It can also mean “big bad deal”, which is a polite version.

However, most of the time this abbreviation is used sarcastically. So when you say that something is “BFD”, you can downplay its meaning or say that it is not a “big deal”. The sarcastic BFD is ubiquitous among younger people, who often say “big fuck at work” with a mocking tone in real-life conversations. It can be difficult to determine which definition someone is using, so use contextual clues to find out if they are sarcastic or not.

You can use this acronym with both uppercase “BFD” and lowercase “bfd”, but the uppercase version is more common. This slang term is similar to other initialisms that use swear words, such as “NFW“Or ‘no hell’ and ‘FFS“Or” to hell. “

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The origin of BFD

Like many Internet acronyms we’ve looked at, BFD was invented by early Internet users of platforms like IRC and message boards. The first definition of BFD in the repository of Internet jargon Slang dictionary is from May 2001. It reads, “acronym: Big fucking deal, use sarcastically.” This definition precedes other slang terms on the website, suggesting that it has been a common acronym for a long time.

Although BFD was already a common acronym in the early 2000s, its popularity skyrocketed due to an episode of The office. In the second season, the main character Michael Scott, played by Steve Carell, sarcastically says “BFD”, writing the acronym instead of saying the phrase. This helped initialism gain widespread popularity, with many people online adopting the term in their online vocabulary. A 2008 entry in the Urban Dictionary refers directly to the episode.

Nowadays, you can find BFD in every corner of the internet, from personal text messages to friends to tweets with thousands of likes. He also became part of pop culture, with a presence in lyricsfilm dialogues and books.


Although it has similar structures and similar meanings on paper, BFD is very different from the acronym “NBD, “Which means ‘no big deal.'” People often use “NBD” to downplay their achievements or contributions. For example, if you take your friend to the airport and he expresses his gratitude to you, you can say “nbd” to express humility or hint that they were not a burden.

On the other hand, BFD is usually used to belittle what someone else is saying. For example, someone comes to you and exclaims that a huge thunderstorm is going on. If you don’t find the storm so scary, you can say, “BFD, it’s hardly raining.” NBD is used to belittle your own achievements, while BFD is used to ignore something else.

How to use BFD

If you are interested in using BFD to organize your texts and tweets, then use it in the right context. When you use it to belittle something, add extra words to make it clear that you are sarcastic. You too use emojis, such as “eye-rolling emojis” („) to help find this point. Otherwise, other people may think you are serious.

Since this is an extremely informal slang term with swear words in it, avoid using it in professional circles.

Here are some examples of BFD in action:

  • “BFD, everyone completes the first level.”
  • “Dude, BFD, this computer is always on sale.”
  • “I can make this dish at home much cheaper. BFD. ”
  • “Wow, this is BFD! Congratulations on the award! ” (genuine used)

Are you looking forward to expanding your online vocabulary? See our explanations of TMI, lmaoand TFTIand in no time you will become an expert in online slang terms.

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