on fleek

English

WOTD – 18 July 2022

Etymology

Origin unknown. Early entries for fleek in the Urban Dictionary date to 2003 (defined as “smooth, nice, sweet”) and 2009 (“awesome”); perhaps as a blend of fly (“well dressed, smart in appearance; in style, cool”) +‎ sleek. The term was popularized by a video posted on the online video-hosting service Vine on June 21, 2014 by Chicago-area teen Kayla Newman,[1] under her username “Peaches Monroee”, in which Newman, who had just had her eyebrows done for the first time, proudly declared “eyebrows on fleek”. She claimed that the term “just came to [her] out of the blue”.[2] Lexico suggests it is “apparently an arbitrary formation”.[3]

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɒn ˈfliːk/
(General American) IPA^(key): /ɑn ˈflik/
Audio (AU) (file)
Rhymes: -iːk

Prepositional phrase

on fleek (African-American Vernacular, slang)

(slang) Flawless; perfect; spot on. [from early 21st c.]
- 2015 March 19, April Oberman, quoting Jalen Luter, “The Four Food Groups in the South: Home-cooked Cuisine to Live By”, in Beryl Kessio, editor, The Crimson Crier, number VI, Harvest, Ala.: Sparkman High School, page 8, column 2:
  Mama's fried chicken is on fleek. Popeye's is a close second, but mama's is number one.
- 2015 April 2–8, Eleni P. Austin, “Kate Pierson: ‘Guitars and Microphones’ (Lazy Meadow Music)”, in Tracy Dietlin, editor, Coachella Valley Weekly, volume 4, number 2, Coachella Valley, Calif.: Tracy Dietlin, page 14, column 1:
  The vocal interplay between Cindy Wilson, Fred Schneider and Kate Pierson was (as the kids say), on fleek.
- 2015 May 22, Aurora Tower, “Here’s Your Complete Love and Life Horoscope for Summer”, in Cosmopolitan‎, New York, N.Y.: Hearst Corporation, ISSN 0010-9541, OCLC 1249603715, archived from the original on 23 June 2022:
  Aquarius […] Your career game will be on fleek when the sun goes into Cancer on June 21.
  Published in the June 2015 Australian edition of Cosmopolitan on page 177.
- 2017 December 14, Nick Doublas, quoting “Piney the 2x4”, “The Best Denver, CO Hacks from Our Readers”, in Lifehacker‎, archived from the original on 13 June 2021:
  If you want to do outdoorsy things, follow the crowds to Clear Creek Canyon for climbing, Mt. Evans for hiking/climbing, and Summit County for skiing/snowboarding. Be mindful that Summit County is totes legit and your kit must be on fleek.
(slang, of an article of clothing or outfit) Stylish and perfectly chosen or put together. [from early 21st c.]
- 2015 January 20, Abagail Kruise, “Don’t make social media a top priority, spend some time offline with loved ones”, in Cameron Teague Robinson, editor, The BG News, volume 94, number 54, Bowling Green, Oh.: Bowling Green State University, OCLC 9026379, page 4, column 5:
  "This media we call social," the poem says, "is anything but." There is nothing wrong with wanting to document good times, on-fleek outfits and maybe even a particularly scrumptious Starbucks order. Just don't make it a priority.
- 2015 February, Dio Anthony, quoting Xosha Roquemore, “Xosha Roquemore: The Realist”, in Aleksandar Tomovic, editor, Bello, West Hollywood, Calif.: Bello Media Group, Image Nation Studio, ISSN 2769-5077, OCLC 1263241350, page 92, column 3:
  Your coat has to really be on fleek to be dope in New York. Your outerwear just has to be on point at all times. That's really the first thing people see.
- 2015 February 4–10, Jessica Leigh Lebos, “Catching shades of Grey”, in Jim Morekis, editor, Connect Savannah: The News, Arts & Entertainment Weekly, Savannah, Ga.: Morris Multimedia, page 10, column 1:
  After several costume changes, I settled on an acceptably less-crazy dress and boots. It's just that I was so damn excited about my first trip to The Grey and I needed my look on fleek, OK?
- 2017 December 6, Anna Murphy, “A bustier is still a killer way to power-dress”, in The Times‎, London: News UK, ISSN 0140-0460, OCLC 909100542, archived from the original on 10 March 2018:
  No wonder her fashion choices are on fleek.
(slang, of eyebrows or hair) Sleek and perfectly groomed or styled; well-groomed. [from early 21st c.]
- 2014 October 16, Ryan Ghisetti, “New brow-raising trend emerges”, in Gillen Martin and Zoe Ziegler, editor, The Arcata High School Pepperbox, volume 87, number 1, Arcata, Calif.: Arcata High School, page 30, column 2:
  "I'm definitely pro-eyebrow, but don't go overboard. You gotta have your eyebrows filled in just the right amount for them to be on fleek," [said] Senior Raven Johnson.
  Footnote *: “Fleek is a pop culture term meaning ‘on point.’”
- 2015 April, Wanya Williams, “Keepin’ It Real or Keepin’ a Weave”, in Sarah Asch, Riley Kuffner, and Holly Parkin, editors, The Tam News, volume X, number VI, Mill Valley, Calif.: Tamalpais High School, page 23, column 3:
  One day their weave might be “on fleek” (looking good) then the next morning they wake up looking like Django when he was chained, and that's a scary sight.
- 2015 April 1, Deborah Collins, “TC”, in Down Bad, [Bloomington, Ind.]: Xlibris, →ISBN:
  Her hair was on fleek or whatever them dumb hoes be saying on Instagram.
- 2017 December 22, Annie Lord, “Exploring the Future of Makeup with the Highly-contoured Teens of Beautycon”, in Vice‎, New York, N.Y.: Vice Media, ISSN 1077-6788, OCLC 30856250, archived from the original on 11 July 2022:
  "I used to say Natalia looked fit,"” she [Emer] explains, "but now I'm like, 'Your eyebrows are on fleek.'"

Alternative forms

fleek

Translations

flawless; perfect; spot on — see flawless,‎ perfect

of an article of clothing or outfit: stylish and perfectly chosen or put together — See also translations at stylish

of eyebrows or hair: sleek and perfectly groomed or styled — see well-groomed

References

Doreen St. Felix (3 December 2015), “Black Teens are Breaking the Internet and Seeing None of the Profits”, in The Fader‎, New York, N.Y.: Fader, Inc., ISSN 1533-5194, OCLC 1222363676, archived from the original on 2022-06-22.
Max Kutner (3 March 2015), “Meet the Chicago Teen behind ‘On Fleek’”, in Newsweek‎, New York, N.Y.: Newsweek, Inc., ISSN 0028-9604, OCLC 818916146, archived from the original on 2022-05-10.
“on fleek, adj.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.