What Is 'Safe Horny?' The Slang Term Explained

It seems gamers are dissatisfied with the current video game character design choices on big games like The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom, Resident Evil Village and many other games. The subject even inspired the creation of the slang term "safe horny."

Rather than delving into the depths of the internet to uncover its meaning, take a look at this explainer to introduce you to the world of "safe horny." Warning: This article has NSFW content.

What Does 'Safe Horny' Mean?

According to Urban Dictionary, "Safe Horny" is a term related to fictional video game characters who gamers are socially allowed or even encouraged to share "public displays of sexual attraction" for.

A post (seen below) that has since been deleted by Twitter user @doze_tree explains with more detail that "safe horny" is essentially a term for when "you won't get in trouble or catch the side-eye for finding this thing attractive."

Where Did The 'Safe Horny' Slang Come From?

The phrase "safe horny" comes from the term safe edgy, which is a term used to describe humor, especially ethnic jokes, that would be considered edgy and offensive if it was directed at another group.

One of the earliest uses of "safe horny" as slang was posted on April 3rd, 2023 by Twitter user @JoeLongBalls in response to Blizzard announcing a new "hot" male support character.

How Did The 'Safe Horny' Slang Term Start A War Between Gamers?

As the slang grew more popular amongst gamers on Twitter and Reddit, heated debates emerged about other "safe horny" characters. One of the most prominent and controversial topics was related to Purah, a Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom character. Twitter user @slbtweetty complained that Purah's new design is a "huge downgrade" and that "safe horny is killing video games."

The tweet has since been deleted, but it was brought back by Redditor /u/infinitysaga in the /r/Gamingcirclejerk community on May 15, 2023. The post, titled "Safe horny is when you like adult women!?" garnered 9,700 upvotes and 361 comments, creating a debate about why Twitter user @slbtweetty considered the character's new design as "safe horny."

In just a few scrolls through the comment section of the Reddit post above, several users pointed out how the term was used as an excuse for inappropriate behavior, since Purah's character has the appearance of a six-year-old in the first game of the Legend Of Zelda Nintendo Switch franchise.

What are your thoughts on "safe horny?"

For the full history of "safe horny," be sure to check out our entry on the meme in our encyclopedia for even more information.