SHREKKING

What Does Shrekking Mean in a Text?

Definition of Shrekking

Shrekking is a toxic dating trend where someone "dates down" expecting safety or loyalty, but often ends up disappointed.

What is "Shrekking"?

image for Shrekking showing Shrek holding a cushion

Shrekking (sometimes spelled "shreking") is a high-risk, toxic dating strategy in which someone dates a person they see as less conventionally attractive or socially desirable, hoping their "ugly" partner will feel grateful and treat them better. The term borrows from the animated character Shrek and the story of Princess Fiona, where an ogre wins a princess. Here, the metaphor flips: people date someone they view as the ogre, expecting loyalty or emotional safety in return.

Shrekking is most often discussed in the context of women dating men, but it can also apply to men or same-sex relationships. While the term itself is harsh and judgmental, the behavior it describes is equally flawed: healthy relationships depend on mutual respect, shared goals, and genuine attraction — not transactional expectations.

And "Getting Shrekked"?

To get "Shrekked" means engaging in Shrekking only to end up hurt, disappointed, or mistreated by the supposed "safe" partner anyway.

Examples of Use

"I thought dating a nice guy would be drama-free, but I got totally shrekked."
"She was shrekking hard all summer. Now he's ghosted her."
"Don't shrek yourself into dating an ogre. Ugly doesn't always mean loyal."

Image for SHREKKING

People who Shrek often get Shrekked.

Summary of Key Points

Shrekking
Definition:	Dating Down
Type:	Word
Guessability:	3: Guessable
Typical Users:	Adults and Teenagers

An Academic Look at Shrekking

Grammatically, "Shrekking" is primarily used as a Gerund (the -ing form of a verb used as a noun), stemming from the newly created verb "to Shrek." While it is derived from the proper noun Shrek (the film character), the slang term has been verbed into a regular, action-oriented word (an -ing form) that names the specific dating strategy.