Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced searchad free! No, TLDR is not rude. We select and review products independently. Short for laughing out loud, LOL is now used to express even the mildest amusement. Suggest. TLDR is an acronym that stands for "too long, didn't read." It's commonly used online to indicate that someone has read a long piece of text but doesn't have the time or patience to read it all. Sometimes just having a TLDR can signal that you know you've written too much and it could have been shortened. Hey, tight on time. FTW means for the win, and is a slangy, upbeat way of celebrating something via social media commentary. The meaning of the acronym is pretty obvious, however, and can generally be taken at face value it's a fast way to say that the referenced article, post, or message is so long that it wasn't worth the full read. It means "if you couldn't be bothered to read the preceding material because it looked too long (and possibly boring), here is a summary for you". Both uppercase and lowercase versions of TL;DR (tldr) mean the same thing and are perfectly acceptable. Someone links you to a must-read article that has more pages in it than Tolstoys "War And Peace" or sends you a text that requires you to scroll so much that your fingers get a workout. This helpful abbreviation provides short summaries of long stretches of text. epitome. Paul Gil is a tech expert, writer, and educator known for his dynamic internet and database courses and articles. BTW is short for by the way. Youd use it just like youd use the expression in real lifeto introduce a new topic of conversation. If you have absolutely no idea what that means, it might be time to brush up on your texting abbreviations. But it's possible to use this term constructively so everyone gets efficient information. Consider FWIW one of the most snarky-but-still-polite text abbreviations out there, because it's a great opener, translating to "for what it's worth.". (It is, admittedly, used less courteously, but we prefer when authors use it as a way to summarize longer posts.). If messaging in a professional context with someone at work, or with a customer or vendor outside your company, avoid abbreviations altogether. Google Analytics history shows searches for the terms TL;DR and TLDR on a slow rise since 2004, but since there's no data available prior to that year, we have no way of truly knowing when this word first emerged. Meaning; TLDR: Top Level Design Review: TLDR: Too Long; Don't Read (aka Too Long; Didn't Read) TLDR: Too Long; Didn't Read (aka Too Long . too long; didnt read To summarize, TLDR lets you provide a small summary of a post online or request one from the original poster. Use all uppercase (TL;DR ) or all lowercase (tl;dr) letters, and the meaning is identical. BTW, I saw you went to the beach yesterdayit looked amazing! In its simplest form, TLDR is used to express that a piece of digital text (an article, email, etc.) TLDR Meaning & How To Use It Properly | YourTango It is an acronym that stands for "too long; didn't read." TLDR: Its Meaning, Correct Usage, and Examples - MUO If you know someone well and it is a personal and informal communication, then absolutely use abbreviations. When someone doesn't want to or can't take the time to read a post, an article, a book, or something else, they might ask someone else for a TLDR. Its a form of abbreviation in which every letter is pronounced on its own, like DVD or VIP. The abbreviation doesnt necessarily mean you didnt read the text before it. You've likely seen her work across a variety of women's lifestyle and parenting outlets and on TV shows. Meanwhile, an initialism is an abbreviation where you pronounce the individual letters, such as BBC. Generally speaking, you should only use TLDR when summarizing a piece of text, whether youre the author or commenter. A wall of text does not (or should not) simply mean a long post. Even if it can sound a little brusque, thats not really what TL;DR means! Here are some of my secrets for writing an effective TL;DR: Can seniors play JV basketball in Indiana? The logical response to ty, YW or yw means youre welcome. In a similar vein, NP or np means no problem. NP, though, can respond to an apology just as well as thanks: Im going to be a few minutes late tonight! NP.. ", TLDR is a common online abbreviation that stands for "Too Long Didn't Read." GetReaders DigestsRead Up newsletterfor more humor, cleaning, travel, tech and fun facts all week long. Use it when it feels right, and try to avoid sounding rude. This helpful abbreviation provides short summaries of long stretches of text. Just tell them LMK when you knowand hopefully they will in good time. Its older and most proper form is TL;DR, which includes a semicolon between the L and D. You might also see the TLDR acronym written as TL/DR or TL/DNR, which stands for did not read. But words and phrases can change depending on their context, and TLDR is no exception. Nowadays, most users write the TLDR abbreviation as simply TLDR. Wikipedia. 12 popular meanings of TLDR abbreviation: 41 Categories. There are also some forum posts that contain the word TL;DR from later that same year. For example, youll find it at the end of a Reddit post in which somebody is telling a story that goes on for longer than a few lines. TL;DR is best used in personal texting, email, online chatting, or if a business acquaintance has become a friend. Sometimes it can be tongue in cheek, a way of saying, I know I wrote a lot, and it might be too much to read. Think of it as the Cliffs Notes of internet communication! Let's look at a real-life usage of TLDR usage from Reddit: This is a simple example, but it illustrates the usage of TLDR. What does TLDR mean? - Kyoto2.org In cases where you can't avoid a large amount of text, you can still format it to make it easy to read. Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way. And what the heck are these new text abbreviations, like TL;DR? Its a form of abbreviation in which every letter is pronounced on its own, like DVD or VIP. TLDR. It scans an article and provides a summary of five sentences or under. 2. chickensoupp 3 yr. ago. You can use them to replace TL;DR. What is AFK's meaning? What Does TLDR Mean? | The Word Counter This might say something like TL;DR: I thought I saw a ghost, but it was really the cat., Youll also see it on Twitter when people sum up their thoughts on a complicated subject. Do you decide to read it and take notes for an informed response, come up with a generic reply, or cut to the chase and let them know there is no way your attention span can make room for whatever they just sent you? Menu Search. u/llamageddon01 has written a Reddit Encyclopaedia for times like this :) Wiki page version | Post version. What Does "TLDR" Mean, and How Do You Use It? - How-To Geek And theyve moved beyond text conversations, becoming widespread in social media captions and comments too. If what you wrote doesn't really need a summary, then don't include it. Credit: TLDR News Seeing the gap in the market, 23-year-old computer science graduate Jack Kelly created his own YouTube channel, TLDR News, to help young viewers make sense of the stories dominating the news cycle. BTW, while most of these are textingabbreviationsor initialisms, GOAT is a texting acronymwhats the difference between abbreviation vs. acronym vs. initialism? What does Nwh mean in texting? It stands for, "fixed that for you.". As a compromise, many people will make their TLDR clever or snarky, making them especially enjoyable for people who have the context of the full post. How do you use TLDR in a sentence? YOLO! By submitting your email, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Which is the best 150 Ah inverter battery? We've covered what you must know about TLDR, but there are a few related abbreviations you should also be familiar with. When you make a purchase using links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Readers like you help support MUO. When using TLDR as an author, your job is a little more complicated. One moose, two moose. What Does TL;DR Mean and How Do I Use It? - groovyPost The popularity of YOLO peaked around the early 2010s, and today, youre more likely to see this texting acronym used with a hint of sarcasm (or more than a hint, for that matter) than with full-flung earnestness. The abbreviation can come off as rude, so it's best to avoid. While TLDR is the most common usage, you may also see the semicolon inserted in the acronym, as in: "TL;DR.". What Do IMO and IMHO Mean, and How Do You Use Them? There is no set rule for where to place TLDR in a piece of writing. Most people know to check the bottom of a post for a TLDR summary, so it's usually best to do this. compact. TLDR | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary 12 popular meanings of TLDR abbreviation: Don't be surprised if none of them want the spotl One goose, two geese. If you've spent any time on online forums or in the comments sections of news websites or social media posts, you've more than likely encountered the internet shorthand "TLDR. Too Long, Didn't Read + 2 . Shes the GOAT!) or a superstar in a particular field (Saw the GOAT himself, John Williams, conduct an orchestra last night!). You can type the letters in uppercase or lowercase; it's not a concern either way. Don't worry about people who don't have the attention span to read it. The mass of text might put someone off from reading it all, so the TLDR line summarizes everything in a concise way. What Does TDLR Mean? | The Word Counter It isnt an accusation that you didnt read; its a helpful summary meant to improve communication. Well, in the days before smartphones, and even before keyboard phones, texters were working with a limited number of characters160, to be exactand before unlimited plans became the law of the land,each text cost money to send. Keep up with her on Twitter for more. This could look like, TL;DR: Kids made a huge mess, and Im going to be late.. It has its origins in internet and email slang, where it is used to indicate parts of a text were skipped as too lengthy to read. For example,ROFLwould never be spelledR.O.F.L., andTLDRwould never be T.L.D.R. Try This Comfy Nodpod Weighted Sleep Mask, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Meaning of TLDR in English TLDR (also TL;DR, tldr, tl;dr) abbreviation for too long; didn't read: used to comment on something that someone has written, for example on social media: If a commenter responds to a post with "tl;dr", it expresses an expectation to be entertained without needing to pay attention or to think. It isnt a condemnationits a friendly summary to help you follow along with what was said. If that sounds a little rude or passive aggressive, you're aptly sensing one of its uses; that is often the way TLDR is used in response to densely worded articles online. It's like TLDR but is more hostile. In fact, the Oxford English Dictionary tracked its earliest recorded use to a letter written in 1917! An example of a TLDR would be to create a summary of a lengthy . An acronym is an abbreviation made up of initials that you can pronounce, like NATO. Thats where TLDR comes from. Ordering a pizza when you should be ordering a salad? TLDR is short for "Too long, didn't read.". Proper punctuation is similarly a non-concernwith most text message abbreviations. It is commonly used on the Internet as a way to summarize a long article or post. Where did TLDR come from? TLDR | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary To summarize a long passage. And, depending on her general fondness for and knowledge of texting abbreviations, perhaps avoid texting your grandma ILY. You can certainly sign off with a longtime significant other, good friend, or family member you text with all the time with ILY, though. Typically, people comment TL;DR to say that the original post is too long, and they didn't feel like reading it. We recommend our users to update the browser. This will signify a summary that is usually humorous and snarky. Try uploading a recent photo of a life event with the hashtag #ICYMI. Itll also often be in the caption or subject of old news stories or emails (read: from a day ago). Since we launched in 2006, our articles have been read billions of times. They might engage better with the content if you offer a summary. It can be hard to stay current with the latest slang. However, they haven't seen updates in years. This is a good time to think back to writing essays for English classwhat kinds of phrases did you use to write conclusions for your papers? Break up your paragraphs so there's not too much in any of them. The primary function of TLDR is to provide a summary of a longer post that people can read instead of the entire content. Where is the Savannah River nuclear plant? Join 425,000 subscribers and get a daily digest of news, geek trivia, and our feature articles. As a photographer, Dave has photographed wolves in their natural environment; he's also a scuba instructor and co-host of several podcasts. The meaning of RELATIONSHIP is the state of being related or interrelated. Understanding the popular internet shorthand that refers to private messaging, TLDR is an acronym that stands for "Too Long Didn't Read.". It probably has no paragraph separation and contains loads of run-on sentences. (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=38cf8a01-c7b4-4a61-a61b-8c0be6528f20&cid=877050e7-52c9-4c33-a20b-d8301a08f96d'; cnxps.cmd.push(function () { cnxps({ playerId: "38cf8a01-c7b4-4a61-a61b-8c0be6528f20" }).render("6ea159e3e44940909b49c98e320201e2"); }); The abbreviation is usually used two different ways: with a long section of text, to sum up what comes before or after it, or insteadof a long section of text, to convey the main takeaways of what a larger text would express. If youve seen this in the comments section of a social media post or worse, had someone send this to you after you DMed them a heartfelt, personal message youve probably found yourself wondering what the heck TLDR means. 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We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. The meaning is quite close to 'executive summary'. Most of the time, the OP includes the TLDR summary either at the end or beginning of the post. The fascinating story behind many people's favori Can you handle the (barometric) pressure? After earning a degree in Computer Information Systems, Ben left his IT job to write full-time in 2016 and has never looked back. If you write up something wordy, consider whether it needs a TLDR. Take Screenshot by Tapping Back of iPhone, Pair Two Sets of AirPods With the Same iPhone, Download Files Using Safari on Your iPhone, Turn Your Computer Into a DLNA Media Server, Control All Your Smart Home Devices in One App. He then spent eight years as a content lead on the Windows team at Microsoft. TLDR means: Too Long; Didn't Read You open a lengthy social media post, an article, or a text message and see a separate section titled TLDR (or TL;DR), along with a summary of the post. TLDR stands for "too long; didn't read."