Simp — definition and meaning
Simp is internet slang for someone who shows excessive attention, affection, or generosity toward a person they're attracted to, often without reciprocation. Originally pejorative, now often used jokingly or self-deprecatingly.
Last reviewed 2026-05-25
Simp emerged from internet and hip-hop slang and exploded on TikTok around 2019–2020. It describes someone perceived as doing too much for a romantic interest who isn't reciprocating — though the term has softened into ironic, self-aware usage ('I'm simping for this character'). In AI-companion discourse it comes up both as self-mockery and as a criticism others level at the category. We'd gently push back on the criticism: caring about something one-sided isn't a character flaw, it's a human default — the question is dose and balance.
About simp.
What is simp?
Simp is internet slang for someone who shows excessive attention, affection, or generosity toward a person they're attracted to, often without reciprocation. Originally pejorative, now often used jokingly or self-deprecatingly.
How is "simp" used in AI companion apps?
Simp emerged from internet and hip-hop slang and exploded on TikTok around 2019–2020. It describes someone perceived as doing too much for a romantic interest who isn't reciprocating — though the term has softened into ironic, self-aware usage ('I'm simping for this character'). In AI-companion discourse it comes up both as self-mockery and as a criticism others level at the category. We'd gently push back on the criticism: caring about something one-sided isn't a character flaw, it's a human default — the question is dose and balance.
What other terms relate to simp?
Related terms in the AI companion space include: Parasocial relationship, Delulu, AI girlfriend. Each has its own glossary entry on /glossary.
- Parasocial relationship
A parasocial relationship is a one-sided bond where one person feels closeness, intimacy, or friendship toward someone — a celebrity, streamer, fictional character, or AI — who does not know them back.
- Delulu
Delulu is internet slang, short for 'delusional,' used playfully to describe someone with unrealistic romantic hopes or fantasies — as in 'delulu is the solulu' (the delusion is the solution).
- AI girlfriend
An AI girlfriend is a software companion you chat with as if she were a romantic partner — usually via text, sometimes voice or video.