Subtweet
A post that criticizes, mocks, or refers to a specific person without naming them directly.
“Her post about people who never return borrowed clothes felt like an obvious subtweet about her roommate.”
People subtweet when they want the target and mutual followers to understand the reference while preserving plausible deniability. The term is still used even when the post appears on a platform other than Twitter or X.
Subtweet combines subliminal and tweet. It emerged on Twitter in the early 2010s as users described indirect posts aimed at particular people.
subtweeting
The act of posting indirect criticism about someone.
subtweeted
Referred to or criticized indirectly in a post.
not a subtweet
A disclaimer claiming that a vague post is not aimed at anyone specific.
Can a subtweet be positive?
Technically yes, but the term most often refers to indirect criticism, shade, or conflict.
Does subtweet only apply to X?
It originated on Twitter, but people now use it broadly for vague indirect posts on many platforms.
How can you tell who a subtweet is about?
Usually only context, timing, shared history, or mutual followers make the target apparent.