Where it sits
It covers a wide range. A friend's bad joke gets an affectionate smh; real bad news gets a heavier one.
Tell it apart
| Aspect | Smh | Facepalm |
|---|---|---|
| Gesture | Slow head shake | Hand to face |
| Usually aimed at | Someone else | Anyone, often yourself |
| Tone | Disapproving | Exasperated |
Both narrate a gesture of dismay. A head shake disapproves of someone else; a facepalm is more often embarrassment, sometimes at yourself. Smh judges, a facepalm cringes.
What it really means
Smh describes a gesture rather than a feeling: "shaking my head". It's the written version of that slow side-to-side movement you make when someone has disappointed you, and not for the first time.
It's one of the hardest-working abbreviations online because it covers so much ground. A friend's terrible pun gets a fond smh. Rail delays get a weary one. Someone's bad opinion gets a pointed one, often with no other words at all, which is what makes it such an effective quiet put-down. You can even aim it at yourself: "fell for the same prank twice, smh".
Dictionary.com dates it to an Urban Dictionary entry in 2004 and finds it spreading on Twitter by 2007. It also notes, with appropriate caution, that smh "may have been an innovation of black internet users", because early and notable uses are common in those communities. That hedge matters: nobody has pinned down a single first user, but the early evidence points to Black internet users.
Twenty years on, it still means exactly what it says, which is more than many early-2000s abbreviations can claim.
Where it comes from
shaking
my
head
Describes a gesture rather than a feeling. Like lol, it narrates a body that isn't there.
- 14 February 2004
First defined on Urban Dictionary (Dictionary.com; date per Know Your Meme).
- By 2007
Spreading on Twitter, according to Dictionary.com.
In real life
- Text: "he left the milk out AGAIN smh"
- Text: "they put pineapple on the menu as a dessert pizza. smh"
- Text: "I fell for the same prank twice, smh at myself"
Questions
Q01What does smh mean in a text?
"Shaking my head." It shows you're disappointed, unimpressed or can't quite believe what you're reading, the written version of a slow head shake.
Q02Is smh rude?
It can be, depending on what it's aimed at. Used about a situation ("the trains are late again smh") it's harmless. Aimed at a person's message, it's a mild put-down.
Q03Where did smh come from?
Dictionary.com dates it to an Urban Dictionary entry in 2004 and finds it spreading on Twitter by 2007. It adds that smh may have been an innovation of Black internet users, as early and notable uses are common in those communities.
Q04Are there longer versions?
Yes. Stronger versions add an expletive between the letters, but plain smh covers almost every situation.