The Urban Dictionary defines “SMH” as used when someone finds something so stupid that no words can do it justice. SMH can also appear in modified forms such as SMFH or SMMFH for those that want to include profane language into the expression.
SMH has been misinterpreted by some to mean “so much hate” which can also apply to many similar situations although it does carry a different meaning. Still, SMH in its most recognizable form is meant to be a derisive term used towards people or ideas that are deemed foolish, ignorant, or just plain bad.
You may hear the word SMH on various social media websites like Facebook.com, Twitter, Instagram, Google Plus, Reddit, etc. While no one knows the origins of SMH, it most likely came from a single use by a creative individual who wanted to express their disbelief in a very short acronym rather than spelling it out. In fact, it could have been originated by two or more people at nearly the same time. Given the speed of how such acronyms spread across the internet, the term became quickly understood and used as part of the common vernacular in a relatively short period of time.
SMH is similar in status to other acronyms that were invented when texting first became popular such as LOL and IMHO. The essence of texting is to get the most information across with the least amount of characters and SMH fits the bill. While no one knows when the acronym first appeared, its appearance in the urban dictionary was early in 2004, so no doubt it came about in the early stages of texting even before the turn of the 21st century.
Communication on the internet has become popular day by day. Present millions of people are using WhatsApp, Facebook, Google for communicating and texting. Generally, people like to text their message very quickly. For speed and quick texting, people like to use some abbreviate words and emoticons like 🙂 for feeling happy, nope for not accepted/no, etc. So the terms like smh, lol, oh, etc are used to show some expressions in texting.
The acronym SMH while being a derisive term is also one that offers less opportunity for people to retort. After all, SMH is describing a reaction a person has to another person or idea and not a direct attack. However, it can also be used as a form of harassment to downgrade or belittle someone who makes decisions that the sender does not approve.
Naturally, as a term used among friends the meaning will most likely not have a harsh tone, but more sarcastic in nature. When used between those who don’t know each other well, then the harshness of SMH comes through to a greater degree. In any event, SMH is just indirect enough that it not viewed as critically as other acronyms meant for derision.
For the time being, SMH is going to be used for the foreseeable future because it provides a simple, straightforward expression of a feeling that would take several words to otherwise convey. SMH has the advantage over several other acronyms that have been modified over the years of being associated with a particular visual event. The shaking of one’s head in disbelief is something that virtually everyone can imagine and relate.
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What does SMH mean in text?
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