square
A conventional, uncool, or out-of-touch person.
By Cal Hewitt, Gen X · ·
What it means
Square is a mildly dismissive label for someone seen as overly conventional or disconnected from current style. It can be playful among friends, but it can also be judgmental. This slang sense contrasts with older positive phrases such as fair and square.
See the quick definition in the square dictionary entry.
How to use it
“He calls every new app nonsense, so the group jokingly calls him a square.”
Teasing someone seen as conventional.
“That rule feels a little square, but it keeps things organized.”
Applying the sense to something conventional.
Where it came from
The conventional-person sense developed in American jazz culture in the 1940s for someone out of touch with musical trends. No single coiner is documented.
No single person is credited, the origin is commonly reported.
Where it's popular
U.S. English, music culture, and later broad informal speech.
Older positive square senses remain in fair and square.
How it caught on
- 1500sSquare developed positive senses of honest and fair.
- 1940sAmerican jazz slang used square for someone out of touch.
- Current useIt survives as a retro-feeling label for conventional behavior.
Common mix-ups
Square is not only a geometric shape. Its slang sense is negative or teasing, unlike fair and square, where square means honest.
Test yourself
Not just geometry
0/31. What does a square mean in slang?
2. Which culture is linked to this sense?
3. What phrase preserves a positive older sense?
// the shop Shop LOST IN TRANSLATION shirts and hoodies for families who speak two kinds of slang
Related slang
More word guides
How every generation says it
Questions people ask
What does square mean in slang?
A conventional or out-of-touch person.
Where did the slang use come from?
It is associated with American jazz culture in the 1940s.
Does square always mean honest?
No. That is the older positive sense in phrases like fair and square.
Square contains opposite value judgments: fair and square is praise, while calling someone a square is usually a jab.
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