AURA

The word aura comes from ancient Greek (αὔρα), meaning "breeze" or "breath." It came to be used to refer to a subtle radiating influence or a halo-like glow around a person or object. In the 19th–20th centuries, it was used in psychology and spiritualism to describe a "field of energy." Modern slang takes the spiritual idea but turns it into a casual way of describing the distinct vibe, energy, or emotional presence that a person, place, or thing seems to project. In everyday use, it's mainly used to talk about the overall feeling someone gives others — confident, chaotic, intimidating, wholesome, mysterious, etc. The term exploded in 2024, becoming one of the defining pieces of Gen Z/Alpha vocabulary.

Nowadays, saying someone has good aura means they radiate a noticeable, attractive, or powerful vibe, but it's not always used positively. It can often be seen in comments on social media and is also used widely in face-to-face conversations. For example:

In both standard English and modern slang, aura is a noun. It's used to label someone's vibe or energy, sometimes placed after modifiers ("villain aura," "main-character aura"). In slang, it can act adjacent to an adjective, but grammatically it remains a noun.