Vol. 10 · Portmanteaus ·Contemporary (2000–) ·2014
Fleek
flawless sleek
- Meaning
- Perfect; exactly right (usually of an appearance).
- Source words
- flawless + sleek
- Coined by
- Kayla Newman (popularised)
- Year
- 2014
Background
Newman's 2014 Vine video "eyebrows on fleek" launched the phrase worldwide. She never profited from the global commercial use of the phrase, a recurring pattern for Black internet creators in the 2010s; the word has since faded.
Contemporary (2000–)
Faster coinage, faster canonisation. Brexit and podcast both reached the OED within a decade of first use — historically rapid. Social media has made visibility, not invention, the rate-limiting step.
Two words, one coinage.
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