A boomer is a baby boomer: someone from the generation born roughly between 1945 and 1965, after the Second World War. The word often sounds disapproving, and the reply OK boomer means there's no point arguing, you won't get it anyway. It's a jibe from social media and conversations among friends, and saying it to a teacher, a boss or a relative is rude.
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a boomer; (baby) boomers; OK boomer (reply to an older person)
- My dad is a proper boomer, he still prints out his boarding passes.
- He said we could all buy houses if we stopped spending money on coffee. OK boomer.
- Both my parents are baby boomers, they grew up without mobile phones or the internet.
What changed
First versionDear Ms Carter, I think the boomers in our team would like a paper copy of the new schedule.
RevisionDear Ms Carter, I think the older members of our team would like a paper copy of the new schedule.
The email opens with Dear Ms Carter and is about colleagues. Calling them boomers in a work email sounds like mocking their age. The neutral phrase is the older members of our team.
The full form baby boomers is a neutral term that's fine in articles and in an exam: Many baby boomers have already retired. The short boomer more often carries a hint of mockery. In IELTS Speaking, talk about older people or my parents' generation, and in an essay use only baby boomers or the older generation.
Your turn
My cousin didn't agree with a single word our uncle said about lazy young people, so she rolled her eyes and said ___.
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OK boomer — The cousin disagrees with every word her uncle says and rolls her eyes: that's how people cut an argument short with a dismissive OK boomer. Fair enough means that's reasonable, I accept that, which contradicts her not agreeing with a single word.
Text a friend about an older relative who doesn't understand something modern. Use boomer and say what exactly they don't get.
My uncle is such a boomer, he doesn't get why anyone would pay for a streaming service.
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