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When not describing something as “moist” and “humid” like a basement, dank is a slang term describing something as “excellent,” especially marijuana.

Dank can also refer to memes that are played out or extremely weird.

The adjective dank is evidenced in Middle English in the 1300s. Then, as now, dank describes places that are unpleasantly moist and humid, such as cellars and caves.

In the 1980s, dank emerged as slang for something “excellent.” Slang has a way of making negative words positive (e.g., bad, sick, ill, or wicked). In the 1990s, dank especially came to characterize high-quality marijuana, the usage perhaps additionally influenced by the fact that marijuana can be pungent and moist.

Dank meme came about in 2013 on internet message boards like 4chan and Reddit dedicated to making parodies of existing memes and mocking meme culture in general. The use of dank here is ironic, as so-called dank memes are so bad (or downright strange) that they’re somehow good.

Basements can be dank. So can bada**es and bud. Dank-a** is a fairly common intensified form.

Stocked up on some dank coffee while I was out in Seattle omg my mornings just got 10x better 😭

— ION (@ion_trapndub)

OH boi They doing friday fortnite for un famous people you just need to qualify so u can compete with all the pros that's dank

— JackShorey (@Jackshorey)

Dank is often specifically used to describe food as “very delicious” or a person as “sexy” and “awesome.”

Shit was so dank

— StinkyPeeete (@StinkyPeeete)

When it comes to marijuana, dank can both describe it and refer to the weed itself. And when it comes to memes, dank can both characterize a meme past its prime or one that is just so bizarre that it’s actually funny.

Reelaty

— Dank Meme Bot (@DankMemesBot420)

This content is not meant to be a formal definition of this term. Rather, it is an informal summary that seeks to provide supplemental information and context important to know or keep in mind about the term’s history, meaning, and usage.