high-key
adverb
| HYE-KEE
Straight up, seriously, extremely
What does high-key mean?
High-key is a slang term meaning “truly; completely; intensely,” often used to emphasize the sincerity or intensity of a statement.
Also high key, highkey.
Examples of high-key
I highkey want a new job with more money! And I will get it.
—@semisami, X (formerly Twitter), 11 Dec. 2024
… this is high key one of my favorite shows of all time …
—When I landed in Mexico City, I’ll be honest—I was low-key nervous and high-key excited.
—High key, I think guys secretly don’t like girls who content create.
—
Where does high-key come from?
High-key is the opposite of low-key (in its informal sense of “somewhat; moderately; inconspicuously”). As slang adverbs, high-key and low-key both are found in African American English slang, especially in hip-hop lyrics, from the early 2010s.
Both terms also have specialized meanings in art and photography dating back to the 1800s, with low-key describing a picture or print as “having dark tones,” high-key as “having light tones.” This original sense of low-key expanded by the 1940s to mean “muted; restrained,” from this developed the adverbial slang ("somewhat")—the same slang on which high-key was modeled.
How is high-key used?
High-key is used as an intensifier in informal language to modify verbs or adjectives. When modifying a verb, it generally means “really, thoroughly, genuinely,” as in ‘I love it high-key.’ When modifying an adjective, it typically signifies “greatly, considerably,” as in ‘high-key jealous.’ It is also sometimes placed before a statement, similar to such expressions as for real or honestly, as in “High key, I’ve never had so much fun in my life.” Here, it functions as a kind of adverb known technically as a disjunct.
While high-key is meant to convey complete honesty or frank intensity, it is itself sometimes qualified by low-key to tone down or hedge its force or intent: “I am low-key high-key stressed out about this exam.”
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