The Meaning of IMAO: What It Is and How To Use It

Do you know the definition of IMAO? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on the abbreviation IMAO, including its definition, usage, origin, and more!

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What does the acronym IMAO stand for?

According to Dictionary, IMAO stands for in my arrogant opinion. This internet acronym is usually used with a sense of irony and/or self deprecation. This term is a twist on the slang term IMHO, which stands for in my humble opinion. The earliest known use of IMAO comes from a May 1989 Usenet discussion about the jam band The Grateful Dead. In the post, the user David Vinayak said “Let me cast some kerosene onto the fire. IMAO this is how I would rate” before discussing various periods in the band’s history. A postscript at the end of his post explains that the original term IMAO means in my arrogant opinion. While this term did spread throughout the 1990s and 2000s, its usage never really took off like IMHO did because it is not a stock phrase in English. Additionally, people may mistake it for LMAO, which stands for laughing my ass off. The person could think the uppercase I was a lowercase L. This new age take on the old cliche  was first used in the early internet in usenet discussion groups, but this interesting phrase is now used on Twitter, Facebook, text messages, another social media platform, and more throughout the United States and elsewhere. The usage of this online slang term shorthand may be less than it once was, but the IMAO abbreviation can still be used for a funny joke. 

According to The Free Dictionary, the term IMAO can stand for much more than just in my arrogant opinion. This acronym has a plethora of other definitions. However, these are less common and should be used sparingly. If you do decide to use one of these alternate definitions in the same context in which you would use IMAO to mean in my arrogant opinion, make sure that you provide the proper context or use the full form so that the listener is not confused. 

  •  Islamitisch Maatschappelijk Activeringswerk Overijssel (Dutch: Overijssel Islamic Social Work Activation; Overijssel, Netherlands)
  •  In My Awesome Opinion
  •  Inhibidores de la Monoamino Oxidasa (Spanish: Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitor)
  •  In My Actual Opinion
  •  In My Anal Opinion
  •  In My Amazing Opinion
  •  International Martial Arts Organization
  •  International Maritime Arbitration Organisation

What are synonyms for IMAO?

There are many different words and phrases a person can use in place of IMAO. Sometimes, acronyms are not appropriate to use in different situations such as formal or professional ones. It is always good to have more options to say what you need to say. Additionally, learning synonyms is a great way to expand your vocabulary and avoid repeating yourself. These synonyms are provided by Power Thesaurus.

  •  in my book
  •  my personal opinion
  •  from a personal perspective
  •  for meself
  •  for me
  •  IMO
  •  from my understanding
  •  by my reckoning
  •  according to me
  •  for my own
  •  in my viewpoint
  •  in my understanding
  •  IMNHO (variation of IMAO)
  •  my guess
  •  from where i sit
  •  in my honest opinion
  •  in my view
  •  in my judgement
  •  my own view
  •  as far as i was concerned
  •  according to my way of thinking
  •  as i see it
  •  i thought
  •  by my estimation
  •  i find
  •  i personally think
  •  as i would have it
  •  as far as i can tell
  •  as far as i am concerned
  •  as for me
  •  IMNSHO
  •  in my estimation
  •  seems to me that
  •  i personally suppose
  •  my estimation
  •  for my taste
  •  from me
  •  my opinion
  •  in my judgment
  •  i consider
  •  in my own point of view
  •  as i see
  •  from where i’m standing
  •  according to my belief
  •  in my perspective
  •  as far as i understand
  •  my thinking
  •  my way of thinking
  •  way i see
  •  by my count
  •  from my personal standpoint
  •  in my esteemed opinion
  •  from my perspective
  •  way i see it
  •  if you ask me
  •  personally
  •  for my part
  •  my mind
  •  from my own point of view
  •  i guess
  •  i think that
  •  from what i can see
  •  according to my thinking
  •  for my own sake
  •  for all i care
  •  i feel that
  •  in my experience
  •  my view
  •  i feel
  •  from where i stand
  •  speaking for myself
  •  for my money
  •  it is my belief that
  •  from my point of view
  •  from my view
  •  consider this
  •  as far as i’m concerned
  •  in my own conceit
  •  i believe
  •  for myself
  •  it seems to me
  •  by my lights
  •  for my own part
  •  i am of the opinion that
  •  from my standpoint
  •  in my point of view
  •  in my humble opinion
  •  i suppose
  •  i believe that
  •  it seems to me that
  •  in my eyes
  •  in my own view
  •  for my sake
  •  from my vantage point
  •  about me
  •  for my liking
  •  in my assessment
  •  i see
  •  from my side
  •  i think
  •  in my own viewpoint
  •  from one’s point of view
  •  from my viewpoint

What are other internet slang terms?

According to Zip Whip, you might see the below list of internet acronyms and slang terms used frequently.

  •  HTH: Hope this helps
  •  IFYP: I feel your pain
  •  F2F: Face to face
  •  MRW: My reaction when
  •  WDYM: What do you mean?
  •  SMH: Shaking my head
  •  OOTD: Outfit of the day
  •  AMAA: Ask me almost anything
  •  YGTI: You get the idea
  •  YP: Yes please
  •  ICYMI: In case you missed it
  •  FWIW: For what it’s worth
  •  BRB: Be right back
  •  IRL: In real life
  •  TTP: To the point
  •  PPL: People
  •  TBC: To be continued
  •  Yeet: To throw something or used as an exclamation
  •  B4N: Bye for now
  •  W/O: Without
  •  TBH: To be honest
  •  SO: Significant other
  •  FOMO: Fear of missing out
  •  ISTG: I swear to god
  •  QAP: Quick as possible
  •  OML: Oh my lord
  •  PNL: Peace & love
  •  AFAIK: As far as I know
  •  IMO: In my opinion
  •  NGL: Not gonna lie
  •  JK: Just kidding
  •  DAE: Does any else
  •  JIC: Just in case
  •  ROFL: Rolling on floor laughing
  •  HIFW: How I feel when
  •  RN: Right now
  •  HBU: How about you?
  •  AKA: Also known as
  •  Bae: Before anyone else
  •  TTYL: Talk to you later
  •  TY: Thank you
  •  CYT: See you tomorrow
  •  BBL: Be back later
  •  FTFY: Fixed that for you
  •  LMK: Let me know
  •  TL;DR: Too long, don’t/didn’t read
  •  TYT: Take your time
  •  QOTD: Quote of the day
  •  MFW: My face when
  •  FTW: For the win
  •  DIKY: Do I know you?
  •  HMU: Hit me up
  •  WYWH: Wish you were here
  •  IG: Instagram
  •  Bestie: a best friend or term of endearment
  •  IDK: I don’t know
  •  OFC: Of course
  •  NTH: Nice to have
  •  KMN: Kill me know
  •  NVM: Never mind
  •  GR8: Great
  •  DIY: Do it yourself
  •  TBA: To be announced
  •  BFF: Best friends forever
  •  CYA: See ya
  •  BC or B/C: Because
  •  IIRC: If I recall correctly
  •  FYI: For your information
  •  TBF: To be frank
  •  G2G: Got to go
  •  THX: Thanks
  •  MSG: Message
  •  OOO: Out of office
  •  SRSLY: Seriously
  •  Tea: Gossip, drama
  •  Sus: Suspicious
  •  IKR: I know, right
  •  LOL: Laughing out loud
  •  TMI: Too much information
  •  IYKYK: If you know you know
  •  YMMV: Your mileage may vary
  •  ASAP: As soon as possible
  •  JSYK: Just so you know
  •  YOLO: You only live once
  •  TBD: To be determined or to be decided
  •  ILY: I love you
  •  OTOH: On the other hand
  •  DM: Direct message
  •  OMW: On my way
  •  COB: Close of business
  •  AMA: Ask me anything
  •  SFLR: Sorry for late reply
  •  BDAY: Birthday
  •  NP: No problem
  •  NBD: No big deal
  •  TIA: Thanks in advance
  •  Finna: going to, intending to
  •  IMHO: In my humble/honest opinion
  •  BTW: By the way
  •  ATM: At the moment
  •  OMG: Oh my god/gosh
  •  TIL: Today I learned
  •  EOD: End of day
  •  IDC: I don’t care
  •  V: Very
  •  POV: Point of view
  •  WFH: Work from home
  •  TFW: That feeling when
  •  TGIF: Thank goodness/god it’s Friday
  •  SNMP: So not my problem

Overall, the acronym IMAO stands for in my arrogant opinion. This internet slang is a play on the old chiche in my humble opinion that was originally used by usenet groups.

Sources:

  1. IMAO – What does IMAO stand for? | The Free Dictionary  
  2. In My Opinion synonyms – 351 Words and Phrases for In My Opinion | Power Thesaurus 
  3. 110 Texting Acronyms, Abbreviations and Slang to Know | ZipWhip