A sigma is a lone wolf who gets what he wants on his own, keeps away from the group and doesn't try to be the leader. People often say sigma male: that's what motivational videos call the ideal independent man. These days the word is more often used with irony. School kids call each other sigma as a joke, and when someone uses it seriously, it sounds like a quote from those very videos.
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a sigma (male); so sigma; sigma + move/mindset; that's (so) sigma
- He left the party early to go to the gym alone, such a sigma move.
- My little brother watched one sigma mindset video and now takes cold showers every morning.
- Bro thinks ignoring the group chat makes him a sigma, he's just bad at replying.
What changed
First versionOur new neighbour is sigma male, he never talks to anyone but always looks busy.
RevisionOur new neighbour is a sigma male, he never talks to anyone but always looks busy.
It's easy to treat sigma as a label and drop the article. But sigma male is a noun, and like a teacher or a student, it needs a in front of it. Without a noun after it, sigma works as a description: He's so sigma.
Sigma is usually set against alpha. An alpha is the leader who runs the group; a sigma is just as strong but stands alone, outside the hierarchy: He doesn't want to lead the team, he just wants to work alone, total sigma. In an email, in conversation with a teacher and in IELTS Speaking, the word will sound like a meme. Say independent or he prefers to work alone instead, and in an essay, use only these.
Your turn
He skipped the class party, went for a run alone at 6 a.m. and muted every group chat. Total ___ behaviour, or so he thinks.
Show the answer
sigma — He deliberately keeps away from everyone and is proud of it: that's exactly the image of the sigma lone wolf. Npc behaviour is the opposite, mindlessly doing what everyone else does, while he does everything differently.
Write a jokey message to a friend about someone you know who acts like a sigma. Use sigma and say what exactly he does.
My cousin now eats lunch alone in his car and calls it a sigma mindset, I can't stop laughing.
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