Internet
burnt out
What does burnt out mean?
Exhausted and depleted from chronic overwork or stress, often with lost motivation.
"I'm so burnt out I can't even open my laptop without dread."
Origin
'Burnout' was named by psychologist Herbert Freudenberger in the 1970s. The phrase 'burnt out' became a defining millennial and Gen Z descriptor for hustle-culture exhaustion in the 2010s-2020s.
Frequently asked questions
What does burnt out mean?
It means being mentally and physically drained from prolonged stress, usually work, with lost motivation.
Is burnout the same as being tired?
No — burnout is deep depletion that rest alone often doesn't fix, unlike ordinary tiredness.
What does burnt out mean on TikTok?
It's used both seriously for work exhaustion and loosely for being fed up or over something.
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