Cheugy

Etymology

Coined around 2013 by Gaby Rasson, then a high-school student in Beverly Hills, as a private word among friends for the off-trend. It went viral on TikTok in 2021 after Hallie Cain posted about it, and was widely reported that spring.

adjective · /CHOO-gee/
Earnestly out of date — trying to be stylish in a way that quietly marks you as behind the trend.
What it names
It names a specific social failure: not ugliness or bad taste, but being sincerely into things that were fashionable a beat ago. The tell is enthusiasm — the cheugy person likes the wrong things unironically, and that earnestness is the giveaway.
Example
She loves those inspirational wall decals, which her niece gently informed her is deeply cheugy.
Related idea
Distinct from cringe: cringe is awkward or embarrassing in the moment, cheugy is simply a step behind the current taste.