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power level

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: powerlevel

English

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Etymology

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The figurative senses are a reference to the Japanese franchise Dragon Ball, where many characters have "power levels" indicating how powerful they are.

Pronunciation

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  • Audio (US):(file)

Noun

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power level (plural power levels)

  1. (Internet slang) An interest or specialized knowledge in a subject seen as uncool, especially related to video games and otaku culture.
    • 2018 April 3, Sam Rutherford, “MSI's GS65 Stealth Is a Gaming Laptop Made for Adults”, in Gizmodo[1]:
      The black and gold paint job is a subtle but still stylish way to hide your power level.
  2. (Internet slang, alt-right) Extreme political views, especially those on the far right.
    • 2017 November 13, Shree Paradkar, “Massive fascist rally in Poland shows how the far right has perverted the word 'patriotism'”, in The Toronto Star[2]:
      The message of the posters originate from a strategy called "Hiding your power level" or publicly disavowing Nazis and painting any opposition to this message as anti-white racism, the news site reported.
    • 2019 November 22, Matthew Sheffield, “The Conservative Establishment's Nightmare Is Only Just Beginning”, in Washington Monthly[3]:
      The idea that minority Republicans would want to support a white nationalist makes little sense until one realizes that Fuentes is fond of using coded language to hide messages intended only for racists, a practice frequently referred to within the alt-right as "hiding your power level."
    • 2022 September 20, Travis View (quoted), Sam Brodey, “AZ Secretary of State Candidate Mark Finchem Campaigned With Sandy Hook Truther”, in The Daily Beast[4]:
      It'd be a signal to other candidates, that you don't have to hide your 'power level,' as extremists like to say.
    • 2022 October 21, “How Kanye Pushed Balenciaga & Demna to Their Limit”, in Highsnobiety[5]:
      Over the past couple weeks, Kanye West revealed his power level, as the kids say. For starters, there was Ye's White Lives Matter T-shirt, which basically rendered everything else at his last-minute YZY SZN 9 fashion show irrelevant, the anti-Semitic tweets that got Ye booted off Twitter, and Ye's very public embrace of bigots like Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson.
  3. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see power,‎ level.

Usage notes

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  • In idiomatic use online, generally discussed in terms of "hiding" and "revealing" one's power level (to one's acquaintances, family, etc.).