power level

See also: powerlevel

English

Etymology

The figurative senses are a reference to the Japanese franchise Dragon Ball, where many characters have "power levels" indicating how powerful they are.

Pronunciation

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

power level (plural power levels)

1. (Internet slang) An interest or specialized knowledge in a subject seen as uncool, especially related to video games and otaku culture.
   • 2018 April 3, Sam Rutherford, “MSI's GS65 Stealth Is a Gaming Laptop Made for Adults”, in Gizmodo‎^[1]:

     The black and gold paint job is a subtle but still stylish way to hide your power level.

2. (Internet slang, alt-right) Extreme political views, especially those on the far right.
   • 2017 November 13, Shree Paradkar, “Massive fascist rally in Poland shows how the far right has perverted the word 'patriotism'”, in The Toronto Star‎^[2]:

     The message of the posters originate from a strategy called "Hiding your power level" or publicly disavowing Nazis and painting any opposition to this message as anti-white racism, the news site reported.

   • 2019 November 22, Matthew Sheffield, “The Conservative Establishment's Nightmare Is Only Just Beginning”, in Washington Monthly‎^[3]:

     The idea that minority Republicans would want to support a white nationalist makes little sense until one realizes that Fuentes is fond of using coded language to hide messages intended only for racists, a practice frequently referred to within the alt-right as "hiding your power level."

   • 2022 September 20, Travis View (quoted), Sam Brodey, “AZ Secretary of State Candidate Mark Finchem Campaigned With Sandy Hook Truther”, in The Daily Beast‎^[4]:

     It'd be a signal to other candidates, that you don't have to hide your 'power level,' as extremists like to say.

   • 2022 October 21, “How Kanye Pushed Balenciaga & Demna to Their Limit”, in Highsnobiety‎^[5]:

     Over the past couple weeks, Kanye West revealed his power level, as the kids say. For starters, there was Ye's White Lives Matter T-shirt, which basically rendered everything else at his last-minute YZY SZN 9 fashion show irrelevant, the anti-Semitic tweets that got Ye booted off Twitter, and Ye's very public embrace of bigots like Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson.

3. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see power,‎ level.

Usage notes

• In idiomatic use online, generally discussed in terms of "hiding" and "revealing" one's power level (to one's acquaintances, family, etc.).