ROFL

ROFL is an acronym for rolling on the floor laughing. It is used in online communication to indicate that something is extremely funny. The term is commonly written as ROFL or rofl, with variants such as ROFLMAO (rolling on the floor laughing my ass off) and roflmao. The formation roflcopter is a related meme that humorously visualizes laughter rising into the air.

Usage and tone: ROFL is informal and primarily appears in casual chats, forums, comment sections, and messaging apps. It conveys stronger amusement than LOL and is often used to reply to humorous content, joke setups, or exaggerated situations. It can also be employed ironically to signal that something is not genuinely funny, depending on context.

Origin and spread: The exact origin of ROFL is uncertain, but it emerged in online communities in the late 1990s and became widespread in the 2000s with the growth of chat rooms, forums, and instant messaging. It has since become part of broader internet slang and meme culture, with usage varying by platform and region. While common in English-speaking digital spaces, equivalents exist in other languages and communities.

ROFL remains a casual expression that coexists with LOL and LMAO in informal communication. It is generally avoided in formal writing or professional contexts, where more neutral or explicit language is preferred.