social cues
/ˈsoʊʃəl kjuːz/
Very CommonUnspoken signals people send through tone, body language, or pauses that tell you how they feel.
Often appears in the phrase 'missing social cues', which can be descriptive or mocking depending on context.
Real-world examples4 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | he just kept talking. like, you have to be able to read social cues man. | The person ignored every signal that the conversation should have ended. | reddit, 2024 |
| 02 | she gave him one word answers and looked at her phone. he missed every social cue. | She was clearly not interested but he did not pick up on it. | x, 2023 |
| 03 | some people just genuinely cannot read social cues and it is not their fault | The person is making a point about neurodivergence without being dismissive. | tiktok, 2024 |
| 04 | the whole table went quiet and he still didn't pick up on the social cues. just kept going. | Everyone stopped engaging but he did not notice and continued talking. |
Use it when
- Someone keeps talking past obvious signals that the other person wants to leave.
- Someone does not notice that their joke landed badly.
- Explaining why an interaction felt off or uncomfortable.
- Describing a person who consistently misreads others.
Do not use it when
- You mean someone literally did not hear what was said.
- You mean someone gave clear, explicit feedback.
Origin and context
Term from social psychology describing nonverbal communication signals. Became common in casual conversation especially as neurodivergence discourse increased online.
- First seen
- 2010s
- Confidence
- medium
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/social-cuesUpdated: 2026-08-29License: CC BY 4.0