A nickname given to people, especially wild people.
A nickname given to people, especially wild people.
"Animal" means a nickname given to people, especially wild people. It is one of many casual words teens pick up from friends, social media, music or sport, and on its own it carries no particular warning. If you hear your teen use it, it is fair to ask what they mean by it in their friend group, since meanings drift quickly. Asking out of curiosity rather than alarm tends to keep the conversation open and useful.
"Animal" is informal English meaning a nickname given to people, especially wild people. It is used widely across English varieties. A more formal or neutral equivalent would be something like "a nickname given to people" expressed in standard vocabulary. A common mistake is to assume "Animal" can replace its standard equivalent in every register; keep it for spoken or casual situations and use the formal form in writing. If you are a B2 or C1 learner, it is useful to recognise this word when you hear or read it, but think carefully about whether the situation really calls for it before using it yourself.
"Animal" means a nickname given to people, especially wild people. It is one of many casual words teens pick up from friends, social media, music or sport, and on its own it carries no particular warning. If you hear your teen use it, it is fair to ask what they mean by it in their friend group, since meanings drift quickly. Asking out of curiosity rather than alarm tends to keep the conversation open and useful.
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
See all Regional & Other slang on Slangora.
Browse all slang words starting with A.
If you were an animal, which animal would you be?
“My sister bought me a giant Rice Crispy and I've been eating it throughout the week like an animal. Like this 👇”
“What animal is more dangerous than it seems to be?”
“If you were an animal, which animal would you be?”
“What’s the funniest encounter you had with an animal in Australia?”
“>> Animal Music. My top artist for two”
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(slang) A fan of Kesha, an American singer.
“According to Orwell, Animal Farm reflects events leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917 and then on into the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union, a period when Russia lived under the Marxist–Leninist ideology of Joseph Stalin.”
“>> Animal Music. My top artist for two”
“The scientific study of animals is known as zoology, and the study of animal behaviour is known as ethology.”
“Animal Farm (originally Animal Farm: A Fairy Story) is a satirical allegorical dystopian novella, in the form of a beast fable, by George Orwell, first published in England on 17 August 1945.”
“Animal body lengths range from 8.”
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