keyboard warrior

American

[kee-bawrd wawr-ee-er, wor‐, kee-bohrd] / ˈkiˌbɔrd ˌwɔr i ər, ˌwɒr‐, ˈkiˌboʊrd /

noun

Informal.

a person who posts highly opinionated text and images online in an aggressive or abusive manner, often without revealing their own identity.

Etymology

Origin of keyboard warrior

First recorded in 2005–10

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

From her perspective, the goal is to see what it looks like to “not just be a keyboard warrior in the comments section, but to view people as human.”

From Los Angeles Times

A defence barrister for McGreevy said his client was not a "political ideologue" but rather a "lonely keyboard warrior".

From BBC

I’ve also begun pointing out how easy it is to be a keyboard warrior when your identity is hidden.

From Slate

The thing is, it is easier to be a keyboard warrior than it is to get into in-person confrontations.

From Slate

"Conor McGregor wants to come in and make a joke out of our art form… he can see me on stage but he's too shook to do that, he'd rather hide up in his gold palace and be a keyboard warrior."

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023