What does NSFW mean?

IF you've spent any time on social media, you've probably come across a plethora of acronyms that you may have left you puzzled.

Between Twitter and TikTok, perhaps you've stubbled upon some 'NSFW' content, however, the abbreviation's definition is most definitely 'SFW.'

What does NSFW mean?

NSFW stands for “not safe for work.”

The term is an Internet slang term or abbreviation for marking links to information, films, or internet pages that a viewer would not want to be caught looking at in a public, formal, or regulated setting. 

Nudity, strong sexuality, political incorrectness, profanity, slurs, violence, or other potentially distressing subject matter may be present in the highlighted material.

Workplaces, schools, and family settings are examples of environments this term refers to. 

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When was NSFW coined as a term?

The origin of the acronym is said to stem from a 1998 forum where a woman asked members to restrict themselves and any obscene language in case "British schoolchildren" lurked, according to a Vice.com report.

Members of the forum followed orders and began replacing offensive content with the acronym NFBSK – or Not For British School Kids. 

And two years later, the acronym appeared in a database of internet jargon with numerous other abbreviations, some of which have become mainstream while others have died out.

Before being added to Merriam-Dictionary Webster's in 2015, the abbreviation NSFW was defined by Urban Dictionary in 2003.

What does NSFL stand for?

NSFL means “not safe for life.”

The related term refers to content that is so ill-suited or unsettling it may be emotionally distressing to see. 

NSFL contents might include fetish pornography, gore, or fatal violence.

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