To paraphrase Three 6 Mafia, “It's hard out here for a simp.”
Ever since the hashtag #SimpNation took over TikTok in 2020, this word—often used to insult dudes, whether justly or unjustly—has earned a permanent spot in online slang. Case in point: When you search “simp” on Urban Dictionary, five pages of definitions pop up. Which also begs the question...
What exactly is a simp?
Well, that depends on who you ask—and when. Because while “simp” might seem like a new term, it’s actually been around for over a century.
The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English traces “simp,” a shortened version of “simpleton,” back to 1903. One prominent example comes from a 1923 New York Times article, which quoted a letter from a woman criticizing unmarried men: “Those bachelor simps are afraid to take a chance and too tight to share their earnings with a wife.” That’s a sick burn, even by today’s standards.
