What Does LMA Mean?

Find out how to respond to this acronym

by
Elise Moreau
Elise Moreau
Freelance Contributor
Elise Moreau is a writer that has covered social media, texting, messaging, and streaming for Lifewire. Her work has appeared on Techvibes, SlashGear, Lifehack and others.
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Elise Moreau
Updated on January 21, 2020
A smartphone with a text message saying "LMA"
A text message saying "LMA".

Did you message someone and get "LMA" as a reply? If you did, knowing what it stands for can help you decide how to craft your response (if you even choose to respond at all).

LMA stands for:

Leave Me Alone

Yikes, kind of a hostile acronym, huh? Well, it actually depends on how it's being used!

How LMA Is Used

LMA can be used literally or sarcastically. When you use it in a literal way, you're essentially telling someone that you want them to stop communicating with you.

If you're upset with a friend, you might use LMA to let them know you need some space at least temporarily. If you're annoyed by an online stranger, you can use LMA to let them know that you want them to permanently stop contacting you.

LMA is a lot friendlier to use in a sarcastic way. When you use it sarcastically, you're not actually telling someone to stop all communication with you. You're simply just trying to be funny by using it as an overreaction to something ordinary or slightly embarrassing.

LMA can be used as a standalone acronym or it can be incorporated into a sentence. You might see it more often in direct conversations with other people (such as text messages or private chats) but you might also catch people using it in social media updates sent to a broad audience — such as in Facebook statuses or Twitter tweets.

Examples of LMA in Use

Example 1

Friend #1: "You ready to talk yet?"

Friend #2: "No. LMA until the weekend"

The first example above shows how LMA can be used in a literal way to send an unwelcoming message to someone else. Friend #2 uses the acronym to send the message that they are temporarily not on speaking terms with Friend #1.

Example 2

Friend #1: "Did you get caught for coming home at 4am last night?"

Friend #2: "Yeah my parents won't LMA about it"

This next example shows another way of how LMA can be used literally. Instead of using it to tell someone to stop all communication, it's used in an explanation of a past event or situation. Friend #2 uses it to explain how their parents continue to bother them about something they did.

Example 3

Friend #1: "You were hilarious last night after those two vodka shots!!"

Friend #2: "LMA, I hadn't had anything to eat almost all day!"

In this final example, you can see how LMA can be used sarcastically. Friend #1 makes a remark about their behavior the previous night and Friend #2 clearly feels a little embarrassed about it. Friend #2 uses LMA in a sarcastic, humorous way most likely in hopes of getting Friend #1 to excuse them for their embarrassing behavior.

A Warning About Using LMA

If you decide to use LMA in your own text or online vocabulary, you might want to think twice before you do. Even if you plan to use LMA in a sarcastic way, other people might interpret your use of it as cold or rude behavior.

If you don't want to risk burning any bridges, it's better to avoid using this acronym altogether. There are much kinder and more polite ways to tell people that you don't wish the speak with them right now.

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