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# Dude
- URL: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/article-2115jsp/
- Published: 2004-09-08T23:09:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-04-17T11:52:44.000Z
- Author: Caroline Bhalla
- Tags: #en, #Migrated, #Import 2026-04-09 19:17, #ImagesUploaded

![dude](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3f/80/3f804bea-4b2d-4ddf-9ff0-6ec7d0afa5fa/content/images/2026/04/dude_article_ea5AyT0-1776425901119.jpg)

dude

Southern California is worlds away from other regions of the United States. And *dude* is a southern Californian word that can be translated only with difficulty, even for other Americans.

*Dude* is symptomatic of the laidback attitude associated with Californians. This may in part come from the sunny weather – as the Albert Hammond / Mike Hazlewood [lyric](http://www.alberthammond.net/music/showsong.php?id=105&ref=opendemocracy.net) goes, “*it never rains in southern California*”, and the temperature ranges from a cool 65 degrees to the low 90s throughout the year. There is traffic and some hustle and bustle in the region, and smog on the roads. But the freeways are wide, the cars are new, the people are tanned, and the fresh, clean beaches attract throngs of people who want to *lay-out*, play volleyball, or of course, surf. The atmosphere is informal, the dress is casual – and the people are never on time (“There was traffic, *dude*”).

The word has clearly spread far beyond its home territory, not just geographically but in public argument – from Andrew Sullivan’s 2001 [article](http://www.andrewsullivan.com/politics.php?artnum=20010305&ref=opendemocracy.net) *Dude, where’s my drug policy?* to Michael Moore’s 2003 [bestseller](http://www.michaelmoore.com/books-films/dudewheresmycountry/?ref=opendemocracy.net) *Dude, where’s my country?* But much as I’d like to believe that all of America shares the love of *dude*, it is really a west coast word – as in “surfer *dudes*”. Who’s ever heard of “city *dudes*”?

In its southern Californian heartland, *dude* can mean so many things.

*Dude* is a person. The earliest [definition](http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=20010621&ref=opendemocracy.net) of *dude* – a word that appeared in print only in 1878 – was “a man excessively concerned with his clothes, grooming and manners”. It has since become synonymous with guy, or gal. Usually, *dude* means a younger man or woman, but there can also be *older dudes*. *Dude* works as a label for most people, though not all of them. For example, you could say about your boss, “That *dude* is a real tight wad”; but you wouldn’t really say to your boss “*Dude*, can I have a raise?” Well, you could, but you probably wouldn’t get one.

*Dude* is a friend, but in certain [circumstances](http://www.antimoon.com/forum/posts/4216.htm?ref=opendemocracy.net) can also mean foe. When one friend calls another, you are likely to hear “*Dude*?” (with a raised inflection on the last part of the word), to which the friend might reply, “*Dude*! It’s me!” In that instance, *dude* expresses familiarity, friendliness, and a certain amount of happiness. But if the context is an unhappy one, *dude* may not mean friend. Like, walking through a bad neighbourhood, one person may remark to another, “*Dude*, those were some mean looking *dudes*!”

*Dude* is also an [exclamation](http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/khusid/346/oed.html?ref=opendemocracy.net). The sentiments that *dude* can express are seemingly endless. How does a listener know which *dude* means what? It is all about inflection and context. For example, if a person wants to express happiness, they can say “*Dude*!” (DEW-wood). If a person is irritated and wants to tell his friend no way, the *dude* will likely be much shorter, “*Dude*, no way” (did, no way).

To express extreme excitement or even surprise, *Dude* can be elongated to flow over several syllables, for example, “Doo-hooo-hoo-d” where each progressive “hoo” becoming shorter and shorter. I don’t think *dude* is expressed in anger very often. Though, followed by “come on” it can become a bit forceful, as in, “*Dude*, come on, you are really getting on my nerves. Stop saying *dude*.”