Loser
Picture a person who is annoying, lacks sophistication, and is generally a loser. That’s what the slang term ‘Scrub’ refers to. The term is especially popular among gamers, who use it to describe players who don’t have any skills, a.k.a noobs. So, if you find an easy target in a game, you could say, “That was an easy kill, what a scrub.”
But the term ‘Scrub’ isn’t limited to the gaming world. In everyday life, a scrub is someone who doesn’t have a clear direction for their life. They are likely jobless and live off others. For instance, a lady might talk about her ex-boyfriend who did nothing but lounge on her sofa all day, saying, “I can’t believe I wasted time on that scrub. I need to avoid such people in the future.” Or, a buddy might vent about her sibling, “I get into trouble for coming home late once, but my brother is a total scrub and they don’t even bat an eye!”
The history of the term ‘Scrub’ is a bit hazy, but it’s commonly believed that it gained popularity in the hip-hop scene in the 1990s. The term was brought into the mainstream by the R&B group TLC with their hit song “No Scrubs” in 1999. Later, in the late 2000s, gamers picked it up and have since spread it far and wide.
Example for using ‘Scrub’ in a conversation
Hey, did you see that game last night?
Yeah, I can’t believe how bad that team was. They were total scrubs! 😂
Related Slang Words You Might Be Interested In
| Slang | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Boss Run | Facing one boss after another in a game |
| BSTS | Better safe than sorry |
| Soft Saving | Putting away less money for the future so you can enjoy more now |
| Tootsies | 'Tootsies' is slang for 'Toes' |
| ROTF | Rolling on the floor |