"thirteenth reason" means: A relatively minor annoyance or inconvenience, jokingly implied to be the "last straw" that will motivate someone to commit suicide.. 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.
thirteenth reason
(Internet slang, hyperbolic) A relatively minor annoyance or inconvenience, jokingly implied to be the "last straw" that will motivate someone to commit suicide.
Etymology timeline
Born ~2007 · no dated citations yetDefinitions
(Internet slang, hyperbolic) A relatively minor annoyance or inconvenience, jokingly implied to be the "last straw" that will motivate someone to commit suicide.
I swear, if you don't cut that out, you'll be my thirteenth reason why.
"thirteenth reason" means: A relatively minor annoyance or inconvenience, jokingly implied to be the "last straw" that will motivate someone to commit suicide.. 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.
"thirteenth reason" means: A relatively minor annoyance or inconvenience, jokingly implied to be the "last straw" that will motivate someone to commit suicide.. 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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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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(Internet slang) for reasons that are tangential, dubious or unknown.
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(Internet slang, euphemism, humorous) Suicide.
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(Internet slang, humorous, euphemistic) An act of suicide; an act of taking one's own life.
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(Internet slang, euphemism, humorous) To commit suicide.