Dictionary

woke mind virus en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• wōk′ mīnd′ vī′rəs
• /-ɹʌs/ (Scotland)
• /ˌwəʊ̯k ˌmʌɪ̯nd ˈvʌɪ̯.ɹəs/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˌwok ˌmʌi̯nd ˈvaɪ̯.ɹəs/ (Scotland)
• /ˌwəʊ̯k ˌmaɪ̯nd ˈvaɪ̯.ɹəs/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˌwɐʉ̯k ˌmɑe̯nd ˈvɑe̯.ɹəs/ (Australia, New-Zealand)
• /-ˌməi̯nd-/ (Scotland)
• /ˌwəʉ̯k ˌmɑe̯nd ˈvɑe̯.ɹəs/ (Australia, New-Zealand, also)
• /ˌwoːk ˌmɑːjnɖ ˈvɑːj.ɾus/ (India)
• /ˌwoʊ̯k ˌmaɪ̯nd ˈvaɪ̯.ɹəs/ (Canada, General-American)
• /ˌwoːk ˌməjnɖ ˈvəj.ɾus/ (India)

Etymology

From the derogatory sense of woke (“politically correct”) + mind virus. Popularized, and perhaps coined, by American businessman Elon Musk on Twitter in 2021.

Meanings

1. (derogatory, neologism, slang) Leftist, progressive, or social justice-supporting movements that are perceived by opponents to be fanatical or corrupting society.
   • In the fiery interview, which aired on Tuesday evening, Musk protested attempts to cancel comedian Dave Chappelle and said the “woke mind virus” is “arguably one of the biggest threats to modern civilization.” 2021 December 23, “Elon Musk unveils ‘biggest threat to modern civilization’”, in RT:
   • "We have made Florida the state where woke goes to die," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a recent event in Virginia. "The woke mind virus represents a war on merit. It represents a war on achievement." 2023 July 21, Domenico Montanaro, “Republicans can't stop using the word 'woke'. But what does it really mean?”, in NPR:
   • Musk told Peterson that Wilson’s gender transition has been the motivation for his push into conservative politics. “I vowed to destroy the woke mind virus after that, and we’re making some progress,” he said. 2024 July 25, David Ingram, “Elon Musk's transgender daughter, in first interview, says he berated her for being queer as a child”, in NBC News:
2. (broadly, derogatory, neologism, slang) Perceived left-wing threats to freedom of speech or conservative values.
   • What’s interesting, when you look past all the hysterical bullshit about brown people and trans kids and the imaginary woke mind virus, is that Hanson’s new converts in Farrer and South Australia are angry about the same shit as everyone else, whether that’s a Lebanese-Australian bricklayer in Claymore, an Indian dental nurse in Ipswich, or some lentil-muffin-eating, lumpy-jumper-wearing goat yoga enthusiast in Teal Town. 2026 June 3, John Birmingham, “Neoliberalism ate the world. Enter: Pauline Hanson”, in Crikey:
   • “I think we need to be very cautious about anything that is anti-meritocratic and anything that results in the suppression of free speech,” Musk said to Maher. “So those are two of the aspects of the ‘woke mind virus’ that I think are very dangerous…. you can’t question things, even the questioning is bad. Almost synonymous would be cancel culture. And obviously people have tried to cancel you many times.” 2023 April 28, Ellise Shafer, McKinley Franklin, “Elon Musk Talks Twitter, Censorship and the ‘Woke Mind Virus’ on ‘Real Time With Bill Maher’”, in Variety:

Forms

Coordinates

DEI · political correctness · cultural Marxism · mass hysteria · race communism · conformist