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Glite Dictionary
🕶️ A tough person 🧢 Streetwise style
gangsta

gangsta

4 9.9
A style or attitude that is bold and tough like street gangs
  • adjective
  • /ˈɡæŋstə/
  • Slang
translation icon : gangsta (coloquial)
  • That's gangsta.
  • gangsta rap

Then I've got one that I can go and train with my boys, which is Lift ATX, that's spit and sawdust, gangsta rap and Slipknot.

Examples

  • His outfit was very stylish and gangsta, reflecting his tough attitude.

  • There is something gangsta about her.

    Blog text (7)

  • You always trying to be gangsta.

    Get Him to the Greek (2010)

  • This is it, gangsta paradise.

    Begin Again (2014)

  • Yes, I know I'm gangsta!

    Blog text (25)

  • There's no practical reason behind it; it's simply because it looks gangsta.

    Blog text (22)

  • Let's keep it gangsta!

    Lakeview Terrace (2008)

  • That's gangsta.

    A Haunted House (2013)

  • She walked into the room with a gangsta swagger that caught everyone's attention.

  • The music video had a gangsta vibe, showcasing tough characters and street culture.

Synonyms

gangster
vsgangsta
  • Slang
1 8.0

Very cool and bold in a way that shows confidence

describes a rough streetwise toughness tied to that subculture

Antonyms

gentle
235 1.0

Kind and not strong in action, sound, or touch

refined
  • Formal
4 4.1

Showing elegant, polite manners and good taste

How Tough

hardcore
  • Informal
70 6.3
gangsta
  • Slang
4 9.9
tough
∞ 2.6
streetwise
7 7.0

Surface Forms

gangsta positive

Morphology

gangsta = gangster (transparent) = gang + ster

The adjective is an informal/colloquial extension of the noun 'gangster' (via the clipped form 'gangsta'), so the sense is predictable from the base.

Etymology

Gangsta as an adjective comes from the noun gangster and the same root gang, and it describes a 'tough', bold, or streetwise style from hip-hop culture. So calling something gangsta means it looks or sounds very bold and confident, like the style of a gangster.