Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • interjection Used to express indifference, apathy, or boredom.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Mediocre; lackluster; unexceptional; uninspiring.
  • adjective Apathetic; unenthusiastic.
  • interjection slang Expressing indifference or lack of enthusiasm.

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

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Examples

  • Wilco's leader, Jeff Tweedy, accurately predicted the general reaction to his group's recent album, I have no doubt that the second this record becomes available there's somebody sitting in a basement at their computer with the word 'meh' already typed up, waiting to post a review .

    NPR Topics: News 2011

  • Online, meh is common in instant messaging, chat rooms and discussion forums, and any sites that invite comments from the public.

    Meh 2008

  • Online, meh is common in instant messaging, chat rooms and discussion forums, and any sites that invite comments from the public.

    November « 2008 « Sentence first 2008

  • September 21, 2009 at 2:58 pm wayte, izzis da guy you described as meh, +70 lbs, then compressed vertically 6 or more inches?

    Death from - Lolcats 'n' Funny Pictures of Cats - I Can Has Cheezburger? 2009

  • August 29, 2008 at 7:19 am they call meh bruce wayne… but… u can call meh Bob

    High above the streets of Gotham - Lolcats 'n' Funny Pictures of Cats - I Can Has Cheezburger? 2008

  • I work at the Philadelphia City Paper and I wrote a blog post about the inclusion of the word meh into the upcoming edition of the Collins English Dictionary.

    Visual Thesaurus : Online Edition 2008

  • I work at the Philadelphia City Paper and I wrote a blog post about the inclusion of the word meh into the upcoming edition of the Collins English Dictionary.

    Visual Thesaurus : Online Edition 2008

  • I smelt it on the strip and thought "meh" - sniffed a few others and then sniffed it again once the topnotes had burnt off a little...it was sublime!

    Best of 2008 and a Prize Draw Marina Geigert 2008

  • I also loved "meh" -- I had to say it aloud a few times because I'd never seen that monosyllable spelled out, and you hit it perfectly.

    impaled gail, lynched lyndon 2007

  • But in general, the reaction was "meh" - maybe because the actual rule is so benign.

    chron.com Chronicle 2011

Comments

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  • Apparently this word is only for web folks. Who knew?

    March 8, 2007

  • I didn't, kenspeckle. I remember using this when the Web was still in diapers. ;-)

    March 8, 2007

  • The sheep where I work use it all the time. ;) I suspect kenspeckle was joking, though, reesetee.

    March 8, 2007

  • I'm not so sure of the Yiddish aspect, or of the Simpsons origin, since I quote the Simpsons as much as anyone. It is definitely an internet word, and I've only heard it used verbally once.

    March 8, 2007

  • Yep, so was I, c_b. :-)

    March 8, 2007

  • "OK, Pandora needs a "meh" button, too, not just "I don't like it" and "I love it". Maybe that would muddy the waters."

    cindi on twitter

    October 17, 2007

  • Haha, I'm listening to Pandora right now and was just thinking the same thing! Or more specifically, I'd like a way to un-thumbs-up a song if I change my mind and decide it's not so great after all, but don't want to thumbs-down it either.

    October 17, 2007

  • Italians have a gesture for that: palm open, facing down, and jiggle the hand a bit. Perfect visual meh. Maybe you could turn it into a graphic. :-)

    October 17, 2007

  • That sounds (smells, I want to say! seems) to me like the English gesture for so-so. If the hand turns on the wrist as if one is playing a tremolo on two fairly far-apart piano keys.

    April 28, 2008

  • Someone should tell uselessness he can unthumbup a word in Pandora... just clicking on "edit this (stupid) station".

    April 29, 2008

  • I'm loving meh!

    April 29, 2008

  • For the record, this is my least favorite word, but I feel it's been laughing at me from its perch in my profile (you will not prevail!).

    August 1, 2008

  • You're right sarra, if it's the cosi-cosi gesture.

    August 1, 2008

  • See comment on cosi cosi. :-)

    August 1, 2008

  • Mehamn Airport (Norway).

    October 23, 2008

  • "Our basic plan Meh is completely free and our paying plan Whoo! is $12/m. With the free plan, we provide you with up to 5 projects and 35 images, and with our paid plan, we’ve bumped those numbers to 50 projects, 500 hi-res images and 10 high quality videos."

    - carbonmade.com

    October 30, 2008

  • JM shrugs his shoulders and realises that he just doesn't care where the word 'meh' originated

    February 1, 2009

  • "meh" is an interjection used to express disinterest. A synonym is "whatever".

    * 1995 March 19, “Lisa’s Wedding”, The Simpsons

    Marge: weaving on a loom “Hi Bart, I’m weaving on a loom!”

    Bart: “Meh”.

    Also an adjective describing a feeling of disinterest or apathy:

    2003, Dana, 10/18/03 Shows 4 in alt.tv.trading-spaces

    Both shows left me feeling,(sic) meh.

    or an adjective applied to something mediocre as in :

    2003, steve-o, Jam On The River Mini-Review 1 in rec.music.phish

    They redeemed themselves with this show. The first song or two was (sic) meh, but they were on fire after that.

    Sorry, the citations are grammatically sloppy. So goes the cutting edge of the lingo.

    April 8, 2009

  • a 'meh' is like a verbal shrug of the shoulders

    April 8, 2009

  • I'm pretty sure this word is rhymeless. Can anyone prove me wrong?

    December 17, 2010

  • Feh.

    December 17, 2010

  • Heh! I've got tabbouleh on my keffiyeh!

    December 17, 2010

  • Teh, as in teh alsome.

    December 17, 2010

  • Czech (if given a pretentious, quasi-native pronunciation, of course)

    December 17, 2010

  • Thanks, you guys! And I think it's interesting that meh, feh, and bleh all have similar meanings.

    December 18, 2010

  • "The interjection “meh” has been gaining ground in recent years, mostly due to its popularization by The Simpsons. A typical use is in the episode “Hungry Hungry Homer,” when Homer tries to interest Bart and Lisa in a visit to Blockoland, an amusement park: Bart and Lisa together: Meh. Homer: But the TV gave me the impression that… Bart: We said, “Meh!” Lisa: M-E-H, meh.

    “Meh” in this usage is an expression of apathy and lack of interest, not as strong as “feh,” which connotes actual disgust. “Meh” is, not surprisingly, popular on the internet, and you can even pick up a “meh” t-shirt at thinkgeek.com. There is some evidence that “meh,” like “feh” (which was popularized in the US by Mad magazine), is Yiddish in origin. The title song of the 1936 Yiddish film “Yidl Mitn Fidl” contains the verse “A goat stands in the meadow, And bleats a sad ‘meh!’, Hey you goat, you foolish one, Being sad is ‘feh’!” On the other hand, goats do make a sound that strongly resembles “meh,” so that may be just a coincidence."

    --The Word Detective

    "Yidl Mitn Fidl" is one of my favorite songs--I first

    heard it on an album by The Klezmer Conservatory Band, but here's a link to Molly Picon's version (with feh as fe).

    December 18, 2010

  • Ruzuzu, you like klezmer music? But why?

    December 24, 2010

  • I think it's the clarinet.

    December 24, 2010

  • "'Meh' is the schwa of emotions." --Jonathan Coulton

    May 7, 2011

  • Uh, feh.

    May 7, 2011