NGL is the Gen Z workhorse for prefacing a frank opinion. It tells the reader “what I’m about to say is honest, even if it’s not the easy thing to say”.
Lands best before genuine, mild truth-telling: “ngl the new menu is way better”. Tends to overstay its welcome in long threads where every sentence has “ngl” at the front.
Lowercase by default.
Examples
How NGL reads in the wild.
- “ngl the bakery on king street has the better croissants now”
- “ngl i had low expectations and they crushed it”
Where you’ll see it
Common questions
What does NGL mean?
NGL stands for "Not Gonna Lie". Short for “not gonna lie” — a softener before a frank opinion.
How is NGL used?
NGL is the Gen Z workhorse for prefacing a frank opinion. It tells the reader “what I’m about to say is honest, even if it’s not the easy thing to say”. Lands best before genuine, mild truth-telling: “ngl the new menu is way better”. Tends to overstay its welcome in long threads where every sentence has “ngl” at the front. Lowercase by default.
Where will I see NGL?
NGL is commonly used on TikTok, X, Instagram, Discord.