approval

Used when someone drops an opinion that’s unapologetically theirs, even if it sounds like it was cooked up in a conspiracy-flavored group chat. Sometimes it means “I actually agree,” sometimes it’s “wow, that’s wildly unfiltered but go off.” Online it bounced from hip-hop slang to political meme-speak, where people yell “based” at takes they think are brave, edgy, or just annoy the right enemies. It’s basically the opposite of playing it safe.

“He said both parties are clowns and nobody’s fixing anything.” “Lowkey based.”

When something is actually good and not just TikTok-hyped nonsense. Calling it legit means it passed your personal vibe verification.

“That sale was legit—I saved like $5.”