Chat abbreviation: What does FUBAR mean?

“FUBAR” is an abbreviation that you often read in forums and social networks. It originally comes from the military.

FUBAR: meaning of the abbreviation

Abbreviations like “FUBAR” are often used on social networks. Although the word is visually reminiscent of “furchtbar” (terrible), it has a different meaning.

• “FUBAR” stands for “Fucked up beyond any recognition/repair”.

• Literally translated, it means something like “broken beyond recognition”. A little more freely: “indescribable mess”.

• This expression is used when someone wants to describe that something is totally broken or destroyed.

• In a figurative sense, “FUBAR” can also be used when you want to express that you have no words for a really terrible situation.

• There is even a Netflix series called “Fubar” that appeared in 2023 with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the leading role.

Origin of the abbreviation “FUBAR”

“FUBAR” is not an abbreviation that originated in youth slang. The expression has a military background.

• “FUBAR” was probably first used as an abbreviation during the Second World War. At the time, it was used to describe soldiers who were so badly wounded that they were unrecognizable.

• The abbreviation “FUBAR” first appeared in an American military magazine as early as 1944. It stood for “Fouled up beyond all recognition”.