BDE (Big Dick Energy)

/B-D-E/

noun · noun phrase

BDE is a playful, often admiring label for someone’s distinctive self-assured presence, regardless of gender or anatomy.

#internet slang
#acronyms
#confidence
#social media

Meaning

BDE, short for Big Dick Energy, describes a person’s distinctive, self-assured presence or way of carrying themselves. It is a joking metaphor, not a claim about anatomy, and can apply to any gender. The label is subjective: it may be admiring, teasing, ironic, or sexually suggestive depending on context. It is more specific and swaggering than simply calling someone confident, and it does not necessarily mean loudness or cockiness.[2]

1. A playful, often admiring description of someone whose manner or overall presence seems unusually self-assured.
2. In context, a subjective label people debate or apply ironically; it can be complimentary, teasing, or sexually suggestive.

A social-media post says someone need not have a penis to have “big dick energy,” then applies the phrase to the writer and names Lindsay Lohan and Rihanna. — The post says a person need not have a penis to have “big dick energy,” and applies the phrase to the writer, Lindsay Lohan and Rihanna. Source

Examples

“She fixed the projector, gave one nod, and left. BDE.”

“He admitted he was nervous and still took the lead. That’s BDE.”

“The quiet confidence and total lack of fuss? BDE, honestly.”

Origin and spread

Kyrell Grant later recalled using the phrase with friends before tweeting it about Anthony Bourdain on June 8, 2018. That tweet is the earliest contextually supported use documented in these sources, but it does not establish who first coined the phrase. The phrase spread more widely later that month when a Twitter user applied it to Pete Davidson amid discussion of Ariana Grande’s apparent reference to his penis size. As it spread, early public explanations differed: some emphasized understated confidence, while Grant stressed personality and how someone carries themselves. Contemporary coverage described BDE as a subjective label people debated, rather than a fixed checklist.[3]

How to use it

BDE is informal and cheeky, so it fits casual conversation and online commentary better than formal or sensitive settings. The anatomical wording can sound sexual or crude, even when the intended meaning is simply about presence. Do not assume it describes someone’s body or that it applies only to men.

A social-media post reads, “we’re talking about how anthony bourdain had big dick energy which is what he would have wanted,” with a timestamp and engagement counts below. — The post applies “big dick energy” to Anthony Bourdain. Grant later cited this June 2018 tweet as an early documented use, while saying he had used the phrase with friends before. Source

Early explanations differed

As the phrase spread, users debated who qualified. The Verge described that discussion, while Grant later argued that personality and how someone carries themselves mattered more than confidence alone. Treat BDE as a subjective impression, not a precise trait checklist.[2][3]

Two tweets, two different roles

Grant’s June 8 tweet about Anthony Bourdain is the earliest contextually supported example in these sources. A later Davidson-related tweet helped propel the phrase into wider discussion; it should not be mistaken for the earliest documented use.[1][2][3]

Grant described a credit dispute

In his first-person account, Grant said he was frustrated that articles did not credit him and that another user claimed to have coined the phrase; he also said that user later apologized. This is Grant’s account of the dispute, not a general audience reaction.[2]

Questions people ask

Does BDE refer to anatomy, or can it describe any gender?

It is a metaphorical label for presence or manner, not a claim about someone’s anatomy. Early coverage noted that users applied it to women as well as men, and Grant explicitly said a person does not need a penis to have it.[1][2][3]

How is BDE different from ordinary confidence?

Confidence is a broad trait; BDE is a cheeky, subjective judgment about someone’s overall manner. Some early explainers described it as confidence without cockiness, while Grant emphasized personality and how a person carries themselves.[2]

Was the Davidson tweet the first use of BDE?

Not in the documented account here. Grant recalled tweeting the phrase about Anthony Bourdain on June 8, 2018, and said he had used it with friends before. The later Davidson association helped spread it, but the sources do not establish who first said it.[1][2][3]

Sources

1. Know Your Meme — Big Dick Energy / BDESupports: earliest documented use.
2. The Guardian — ‘It sucks, because I made zero dollars from it’: how I coined Big Dick EnergySupports: meaning.
3. The Verge — ‘Big Dick Energy’ is a thing because people needed to explain Ariana Grande and Pete DavidsonSupports: origin.