π₯±
Yawning Face
YAW-ning fays
Definitions
1
Emotional Β· Tiredness
Very Common
Expresses tiredness or sleepiness, showing a face in mid-yawn with eyes closed or squinted and an open mouth covered by a hand.
Used to indicate you're tired, bored, or finding something uninteresting. Often sent during late-night conversations or when discussing boring topics.
I have to wake up at 5am for my flight tomorrow π₯±
Text message
Sitting through another 3-hour meeting about quarterly projections π₯±
Social media post
Can't believe they're still talking about this π₯±
Group chat
While primarily indicating physical tiredness, it frequently conveys emotional fatigue or boredom with conversations or situations.
2
Emotional Β· Boredom
Common
Indicates boredom, disinterest, or finding something tedious or unengaging, often with a dismissive connotation.
Frequently used to show disinterest in topics, conversations, or content that the sender finds dull or unworthy of attention.
He kept bragging about his new car for 20 minutes π₯±
Private message
Another celebrity drama? π₯± Who cares
Comment on social media
Has evolved beyond indicating physical tiredness to become a powerful symbol of dismissal or disengagement in digital communication.
Evolution Timeline
2019
Introduced in Unicode 12.0 as a new face emoji representing tiredness.
Growing need for an emoji specifically showing the act of yawning.
2020
Gained popularity during pandemic lockdowns as people expressed fatigue with isolation and endless video calls.
COVID-19 pandemic and associated 'Zoom fatigue' phenomenon.
2021
Evolved into a dismissive symbol on platforms like TikTok and Twitter, used to indicate something is boring or unimpressive.
Gen Z communication trends emphasizing brevity and emotional dismissal.
Cultural Context
Has evolved from simply indicating physical tiredness to becoming a powerful dismissal tool in youth culture, particularly as a way to indicate something is unimpressive or unworthy of attention.
Gen Z users frequently employ this emoji sarcastically to dismiss others' attempts to impress, while older generations tend to use it more literally to indicate actual tiredness.
Gained prominence during pandemic video call culture, where it became shorthand for 'Zoom fatigue' and meeting exhaustion in professional contexts.
Represents a non-verbal communication cue (yawning) that has similar meanings across cultures, making it one of the more universally understood emotion emojis.
Regional Variations
United Kingdom
More commonly used to genuinely indicate tiredness rather than as a dismissive gesture, especially among older users.
United States
Often used sarcastically to dismiss topics or people considered unimportant or boring, especially in youth communication.
Generational Usage
Gen_X: More literal usage indicating actual tiredness or late nights. Less likely to use it as a dismissive gesture in digital communication.
Gen_Z: Primarily used to dismiss, show disinterest, or signal something is unimpressive. Often employed sarcastically on TikTok and Instagram.
Older: Limited usage, primarily to indicate actual physical tiredness. Often paired with text explicitly mentioning being tired or needing sleep.
Millennials: Used both literally for tiredness and figuratively for boredom. Common in work contexts to signal meeting fatigue or late-night work sessions.
Common Combinations
π₯±π΄
Extreme tiredness or about to fall asleep.
Used when transitioning from being merely tired to actually needing sleep immediately.
π₯±β
Tired and in need of caffeine.
Common morning communication or during work meetings when energy is low.
π₯±π€
Extremely sleepy or bored to the point of falling asleep.
Often used during late-night conversations or to indicate boredom with a topic.
π₯±π
Bored and unimpressed, with a dismissive attitude.
Used to show contempt or dismissal of something considered uninteresting or unimpressive.
π₯±π
Too tired to continue a conversation or interaction.
Signals ending communication due to fatigue or boredom.