I got reminded of the delightfully lacerating word “doomer” this week (21 May 2025). It was used in an article describing people that are terrified of artificial intelligence (AI) and comparing them with those who are wildly optimistic about it—bloomers.
“Doomer” is quite a few years old now and quite established in online parlance. The reference that I always go to for such words is the Urban Dictionary. It gives this acerbic characterisation of a doomer:
“A person (usually a millennial or generation Z and male) who has experienced apparent hardship (relationship breakup, job loss, failure etc.) and has became fully immersed in apathy, self hatred, depression and generally being a loner. Usually asleep or tired in the day and more active at the night, spending time on the internet or going on long night walks ruminating.”
Origin of doomer
The word “doomer” has roots in the Middle English word “doome”. It comes from Old English “dom” which was a legal term meaning law, judgment, or decree. Originally in a neutral sense but sometimes also “a decision determining fate or fortune, irrevocable destiny.”
A book of laws in Old English was a “dombec”. The Domesday Book is a reference to both the Last Judgement (Domesday) and the use of “doom” for a law or judgement. Over time, the meaning of “doom” shifted to refer to fate, ruin, or destruction.
Origin of doomers
“Doomers” gained online traction in the 2010s in forums and meme spaces filled with economic anxiety, climate despair, and existential fatigue. Here, the Doomer Wojak was born. Woja is a simple cartoon figure in a beanie and hoodie, slumped over, smoking, looking tired of it all. I can’t really explain Wojak, it is an intriguing Internet meme completely foreign to me (a boomer).
Children of doomer
Doomer is a sad, brooding isolated male individual but he has begot a small family of offspring:
Doomer girl is a sardonic, world-weary female counterpart
Gloomer is sad and depressed but still holds onto some hope
Bloomers are optimistic, outgoing 20-somethings with a positive attitude and zest for life, inspired by traits of the Baby Boomer generation
Zoomers, from Generation Z, are cheerful and energetic, bringing extra enthusiasm to their lives.
Related terms
And there are other words reflecting these behaviours:
Doomscrolling—the nightly ritual of scrolling through only the bad news that is fed to you which magnifies it
Doomposting—the act of filling your feed with pessimistic musing, sometimes sincerely, sometimes performatively.
What does it all mean
These labels are playful, but they do offer a way of thinking about how we respond to AI and change in general—especially when the future seems uncertain. So where do you fit on the scale?
Perhaps you lean towards the doomer view, that AI will unravel our lives? Or maybe you’re more a gloomer—concerned, but not quite despairing. You may find it a positive with a bloomer’s optimism, or are you taking the zoomer approach and embracing AI and what it offers.
What sort of *.oomer are you?