Learn the Definition of 'Facepalm' and Its Relation to '/Facepalm'

Woman covering face with hands against white background

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There are plenty of acronyms and terms used in social media that didn't exist just a few years ago so you shouldn't be too frustrated when you run into a peculiar expression online and you're not quite sure what it means.

Let's Discuss 'Facepalm'

Bigby Wolf with his face in his hand from A Wolf Among Us
Telltale Games

The term facepalm means the same as hiding your face in your hand as a sign of resigned embarrassment. It is an expression of frustration tinged with agitation. The visual is a person smacking their forehead with their palm, often with the verbal expression "d'oh!" to convey frustration out loud and a sense of the stupidity of the situation.

In the world of online gaming, you see the slash used as in /facepalm. The meaning of the term is the same with or without the slash. The slash command is commonly used as a gamer command, so adding the slash in front of the term is intended to be comic.

In online conversations, such as in forums and on Facebook posts, you may see /facepalm when an argument devolves into mindless bickering and people start to voice the dubious logic behind their beliefs.

Let's Discuss 'Headdesk'

Speaking of banging your head against your desk, the term headdesk also appears online in forums and on social media sites. It is essentially an extreme facepalm —so extreme, that instead of merely hiding your face in your hand, you slam your head onto your desk. The term's most commonly used when someone says or does something so idiotic that you've given up hope of ever reaching them with your logic.