What Does "Malding" Mean?

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A closer look at the slang term made popular on Twitch

Co-authored by Janice Tieperman

Last Updated: February 14, 2024 Fact Checked

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Definition

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How to Use

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Origins

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Similar Slang

Since 2019, “malding” has become a popular slang term in both the gaming and Twitch streaming communities. As a combination of the words “mad” and “bald,” “malding” refers to people getting really angry (usually over a minor thing). Read on to learn everything there is to know about this relatively new slang term, including where it came from and how to use it yourself.

Things You Should Know

“Malding” describes a person who’s feeling very angry. The term is a fusion of the words “mad” and “balding” (like being so mad you could pull your hair out).
Use “malding” to react to an angry or salty person (especially in a video game setting).
A user on Urban Dictionary first used the word “mald” in 2011, but the term “malding” was made popular by Swedish Twitch streamer Forsen and his viewers in 2019.

Section 1 of 4:

Malding Definition

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“Malding” is a slang word used to describe an angry person. A combo of the words “mad” and “balding,” “malding” refers to a person (often a gamer) who gets extremely heated and irritated about something (to the point where they could metaphorically lose their hair/pull out their hair/go bald). Often, the thing they’re angry about isn’t a very big deal.
- “Malding” is typically used online. For instance, if you search “malding” on YouTube, you’ll often see highlights or clips of popular VTubers (virtual YouTubers) and streamers (like xQc, HasanAbi, etc.).
- Did You Know? Although this term is used hyperbolically, there is a bit of truth to it. High stress (like extreme anger) can contribute to hair loss in some circumstances, like trichotillomania (pulling one’s hair out) or telogen effluvium (where stress causes hair to fall out in a matter of months).^{[1]
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Section 2 of 4:

How to Use Malding

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Use “malding” to describe an angry person or gamer. “Malding” was born on the internet, so it makes the most sense to use it in a digital context. Feel free to use “malding” to call out an especially salty player in a multiplayer game (like League of Legends, Call of Duty, Fortnite, Apex Legends, etc.). You can also use the term to describe someone who got really angry and heated over something minor, like a VTuber or Twitch streamer you follow.
- “Did you catch his stream last night? Dude was malding LOL”
- “AHAHAHAHA I can’t believe you just stole Glenn’s pentakill… he must be malding right now”
- “This person has reached record levels of malding 😆”

Section 3 of 4:

Malding Origins

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Back in 2011, user Yozaru introduced the word “mald” as a combination of “mad” and “bald” on the slang dictionary site Urban Dictionary. However, in his definition, Yozaru presented “mald” as a way to describe someone who was irritated about their baldness or both mad and lacking hair, rather than the definition we know today.
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Twitch streamer Forsen made “malding” more mainstream. In 2019, Swedish Twitch streamer Forsen researched the term “mald” on Urban Dictionary at the persistence of his chat (stream viewers). Forsen’s viewers would also frequently send messages like “so mad, so bad” to the chat while Forsen was streaming, with the catchphrase morphing into “so bald, so mad” and “so bald, so mald.” After this, Forsen’s chat started using “mald” independently from the original phrase.^{[2]
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- Around the same time in 2019, a Redditor tried to get enough traffic/upvotes on a goofy picture of Forsen with the ultimate goal of associating the “mald” keyword with the photo (so the pic would show up if you Google Image search “mald”). (Note: As of 2024, pictures of aircraft show up when you search “mald” in Google Images.)
- Since then, “malding” has become a common term used in different corners of Twitch (and the internet, by extension). In fact, well-known Twitch streamer Hasan Piker co-hosts a satirical podcast with Will Neff that’s called “Fear and Malding.”

Section 4 of 4:

Similar Slang

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The name of a popular Twitch emote that resembles a man with an enthusiastic/surprised expression. The emote, as well as the phrases “pog” or “poggers,” simply means that something is very cool or epic.
In a certain scene of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, the player has to press the F button to “pay respects” during a funeral scene. Since then, the term “press F” has become a cheeky response to playfully inconvenient situations (often in a gaming or streaming context).^{[3]
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“Jebaited” is a term used by gamers who were tricked or otherwise bamboozled (often in a gaming context). The term is best known as an emote of prominent gaming figure Alex Jebailey looking up at something.^{[4]
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