Etymology

wokelash

W4O1K5E1L1A1S1H4

Today it means: A backlash against media, speech, etc. deemed inconsistent with social justice principles, or viewed as perpetuating unwoke or reactionary ideas. Full definition →

First used since 2019
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The story

Blend of woke + backlash.

First known use, by meaning

  • since 2019 A backlash against media, speech, etc. deemed inconsistent with social justice principles, or viewed as perpetuating unwoke or reactionary ideas.
  • since 2020 A backlash against or mass rejection of wokeness, or of media, policies, etc. deemed woke or politically correct.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.