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obiang

Singaporean slang from Hokkien meaning unfashionable, tacky, or lacking in taste — applied to clothing, decor, behaviour, or anything seen as embarrassingly outdated or gauche.

ˈoʊbiæŋ110 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026+ Add a definition
🗺️ Regional & Other
2 definitions
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#1·Apr 28, 2026

Singaporean slang from Hokkien meaning unfashionable, tacky, or lacking in taste — applied to clothing, decor, behaviour, or anything seen as embarrassingly outdated or gauche. The word is widely used in Singaporean English (Singlish) and carries a strong cultural flavour.

She cringed at the curtains in the hotel room — so obiang, like something from the 1980s.
Origin: From Hokkien, used in Singaporean English (Singlish) to mean tacky or unfashionable. Editorial expansion authored on Slangora.
For parents

"obiang" means: Singaporean slang from Hokkien meaning unfashionable, tacky, or lacking in taste — applied to clothing, decor, behaviour, or anything seen a.... This is informal slang, common in casual speech, texting and social media, but not appropriate for school work, applications or professional settings. There is no real cause for concern in itself; it is everyday peer vocabulary. If your child uses it, a light comment about audience and register is usually enough — no need to escalate. Context, more than the word, tells you whether to follow up.

For ESL learners

"obiang" means: Singaporean slang from Hokkien meaning unfashionable, tacky, or lacking in taste — applied to clothing, decor, behaviour, or anything seen a.... Register: informal slang, fine in casual conversation, texting and social media but not in academic essays, business writing or formal speech. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use this word only when you have heard or read it being used naturally in a comparable context.

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#2·Apr 27, 2026

(Singapore) ; tasteless; inauthentic.

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For specific readers

"obiang" means: Singaporean slang from Hokkien meaning unfashionable, tacky, or lacking in taste — applied to clothing, decor, behaviour, or anything seen a.... This is informal slang, common in casual speech, texting and social media, but not appropriate for school work, applications or professional settings. There is no real cause for concern in itself; it is everyday peer vocabulary. If your child uses it, a light comment about audience and register is usually enough — no need to escalate. Context, more than the word, tells you whether to follow up.

Why is this section here?

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.

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