Cheugy is slang for out of date and uncool, especially when someone is trying to look stylish and lands on yesterday's trend: mugs with motivational slogans, an ad that tries too hard to sound young. It's pronounced /ˈtʃuː.ɡi/. Vintage isn't cheugy: the word is about a failed attempt to be trendy.
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be / look / feel cheugy; a cheugy + style / slogan / design
- She called the matching slogan mugs cheugy, but I still liked mine.
- The campaign tried so hard to look trendy that it felt cheugy.
- I do not mind if my favourite old notebook looks a little cheugy.
What changed
First versionIn a formal design review: The campaign uses cheugy visual conventions.
RevisionIn a formal design review: The campaign uses outdated visual conventions.
The grammar is fine; the problem is register: slang doesn't belong in a formal design review. Outdated says the same thing, that the techniques are old, in neutral language.
Basic means predictable, with nothing special. Cringe means embarrassing to watch. Cheugy means uncool while trying to be cool. In an essay: outdated or unfashionable.
Your turn
Choose neutral wording for a formal review: The design relies on ___ visual conventions.
Show the answer
outdated — A formal review needs neutral outdated. Cheugy is a mocking casual judgement.
Describe a design or ad that tries too hard to look trendy, and the detail that gives it away.
The poster felt cheugy because every line used a different slogan about being unique.
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