Are you looking for a way to tell someone that their viewpoint is incorrect and they need to read up on the subject they’re discussing? You could say they are “ignant.” They need to do more research before their opinion gets them in trouble. This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.
Meaning
The expression “ignant” means that someone is “ignorant” of what they say. The person usually discusses the subject like they know what they are talking about, but deeper analysis shows they have nothing but an ideology around it.
People use “ignant” in many situations. It’s common for people to use it to describe a racist person or someone that doesn’t respect other people's culture. Calling someone “ignant” is another way of saying they are uneducated or stupid.
Example Usage
"Oh, that's so ignant. I can't believe you're saying that. It's so ignant. Stop being so ignant."
"Don't worry about him. He's just ignant. He'll never understand why people have cultural differences, and he expects everyone to be just like him."
"That's so ignant. Thinking that way about people isn't any way to go through life. You need to embrace people's differences, not mock them."
"That opinion is so ignant that I don't know how to reply to it. Perhaps you should read up on what you're saying because you clearly don't know what you're talking about with this."
"That girl is so ignant. She comes from the countryside, and she's never been to the big city before. Every day she's out there, and it's not going to be long before someone takes advantage of her."
"Why are you so ignant? This intolerance of other people's culture is unacceptable, and you need to apologize, or I'm kicking you out of here."
Origin
The expression “ignorant” dates back to the 1940s. The word “ignant” stems from the slang pronunciation of the word “ignorant,” and it has the same meaning. Language experts are unsure when the term started replacing ignorant in modern mainstream culture.
Initially, the word “ignorant” referred to an uneducated or stupid person that wouldn’t hold a conversation because of a lack of knowledge. However, the hip-hop community adopted the word “ignant” in the 90s, and the word spread through the modern vocabulary, replacing the use of ignorant.
Chris Rock coined the use of the word in 1996 during his stand-up special “Bring the Pain.” In the special, Rock drops the following line.
“ignant-ass ni**as f**k it up” for regular black people.
The Luniz would also use the word in their 1997 track “Highest Niggas In The Industry,” where the word appears as follows.
“Ignant muthaf**ka wanna step to me, I wouldn’t hesitate to blast, b*tch.”
Drake freestyled alongside the rapper Lil’ Wayne in the 2009 track “Ignant Sh*t.”
Michael Jackson would also use “ignorant” in public when discussing racism. This led to the satirical TV show, South Park, using it as a meme in an episode of the series.
Phrases Similar to Ignant
- Ignorant.
- Das raciss.
Phrases Opposite to Ignant
- Well-informed.
What is the Correct Saying?
- Ignant.
Ways People May Say Ignant Incorrectly
“Ignant” is the abbreviated version of “ignorant” and street slang adopted by mainstream culture thanks to celebrities and musicians. Using the term around people with grammar issues would likely cause them to cringe at your abuse of the English language.
Acceptable Ways to Phrase Ignant
You can use the expression “ignant” when you want to make light of someone’s ignorant remarks. The phrase suits online and offline use. Use it in chats or text messages when calling someone out for being ignorant of topics they’re discussing.
Use it in verbal conversations when you’re telling someone that their viewpoint is ignorant and they need to educate themselves on the topic. The most common use of the phrase is for calling out people for making racist remarks or being culturally inappropriate when discussing other ethnicities or cultures.