TL;DR
/tiː ɛl diː ɑːr/ · Abbreviation · Slang & Abbreviations · Origin: 2003
Definitions
Too Long; Didn't Read — used to preface a brief summary of a longer text, or as a dismissive response indicating that the preceding content was excessively verbose. Both a service to readers and an insult to writers.
In plain English: A short summary at the top of a long post, for people who don't want to read the whole thing. Also used to tell someone their message was too long.
Etymology
- 2003
- The acronym 'TL;DR' (Too Long; Didn't Read) first appears on internet forums as a dismissive response to lengthy posts
- 2005
- TL;DR evolves from an insult to a helpful summary convention — authors add 'TL;DR:' sections to their own posts
- 2010s
- The term enters mainstream usage; news outlets and documentation use TL;DR summaries as a standard format