Earlier, there weren’t lifestyle tags used; you were either simply an individual or a couple. But with terms like DINK (Dual Income, No Kids) or HENRY (High Earner, Not Rich Yet) becoming TikTok trends, people are getting to know more about themselves, which were once acronyms you only used to find in the books of finance or economics.
Now, DINK, undoubtedly, is the most popular slang right now, thanks to millions of views over social media platforms, but do you know the 13 other single and couple acronyms that may define your life? You may not be a DINK, but a SINK. Or a DINKWAD or YAWN even. Don’t know what these mean? Take a look below to find out!
All The Modern Adulthood Lifestyle Slangs:
1. DINK (Dual Income, No Kids)
Let’s start with the most popular couple lifestyle trend that’s been the talk of the town: DINK. Then we’ll build on it because trust me, it’s just the tip of the iceberg. This slang describes a couple where both of them work/earn and have chosen not to have children.
It first gained popularity in the 1980s, but the DINK lifestyle on TikTok exploded again in 2025, where you can find various couples showcasing their lifestyle and their reason for being child-free, and where they spend their money instead of on children.
2. DINKY (Dual Income, No Kids Yet)
A sort of extension to the infamous DINK lifestyle, DINKY couples have similar lives but with the addition of not having children as of right now, They are child-free, financially independent couples yet, but maybe they are saving some part of the income for the future when they do decide to have children, either naturally, by adopting, or through an IVF journey.
3. DINKWAD (Dual Income, No Kids, With A Dog)
Did you know that 66% of people in the USA own a dog, according to the American Pet Products Association (2023-2024)? Now, it is a big number and signifies the love of furry babies in the current pet-parent generation. That’s why the term “DINKWAD lifestyle with pets” is used for couples choosing not to have kids and instead getting an animal, a Dog, in particular.
They will also have a higher degree of economic and social freedom than a couple with a child/children but less than DINKs, as they will have to spend time and money for their pet’s health, nutrition, and other forms of care.
4. DINKWAC (Dual Income, No Kids, With A Cat)
After the DINK lifestyle on TikTok, this term has been boosted a lot. It’s totally simple to understand; just sub Dog for a Cat in the earlier couple tag and you get a DINKWAC. The partners particularly care for feline companions, like a DINKWAD lifestyle with pets.
5. DIWK (Dual Income, With Kids)
A total opposite of the trendy DINK relationship, DIWKS are couples who both earn while raising children, as has been seen most commonly in the past.
They have to look more closely at the financial side of things because of the cost of raising children (i.e, their education, day-to-day expenditure, and more). Another term for these financially independent couples can be DEWK, Dually Employed With Kids.
Single Terminology
There are basically three types of sub-FIREs: Fat FIRE, Lean FIRE, and Barista FIRE. While the first official origin of the concept is unknown, FIRE was first popularized through the book Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin in 1992.
6. SINK (Single Income, No Kids)
Simply put, SINK means an individual without children. No couple, no child. The person makes decisions all by themselves, which gives them time to fulfill different career or personal goals. They can also be called OINK (One Income, No Kids), but it can also include a couple where only one person is earning. There are three types of currently unofficial childfree acronyms that come within SINK: single Income no kids:
NINK (No Income No Kids)
Well, now this is a tongue-in-cheek abbreviation for a person who neither works nor has children to take care of. As for their financial survival, they may be dependent on their family or friends or have savings reserved. The reason for not working can be because of a disability, being laid off, a choice, or any other reason.
LINK Low Income No Kids
When a person believes they have just enough to get by in daily life, they can refer to themselves as LINK. Since LINK and MINK are not that popular terms within the financial papers or research, there is no definite amount of money that can come under this Single Income No Kids category.
MINK Middle Income No Kids
Simply put, an individual who feels they get by okay in today’s economy is called a MINK.
7. HENRY (High Earner, Not Rich Yet)
People who earn a high income but are still not rich enough in their eyes are called HENRYs. They make approximately $100K a year. And can be an individual or in a couple. They can be single or have children.
8. KIPPER (Kids in Parents’ Pockets Eroding Retirement Savings)
One’s kids become KIPPER when they are still living at home without earning. The individual may be dependent on their parents for a variety of reasons, whether they are finding a job, are in-between careers, or for any other reason. Since they are living off their parents’ income, the parents might feel like their age to retirement age is getting farther.
9. WOOPIE (Well-Off Older People Enjoying Income)
WOOPIEs sound just as fun as the sociological label itself. The lifestyle belongs to older people who have the time and money to spend on their favorite things for the rest of their near-retirement or retirement life, comfortably due to their accumulated wealth from the past years or current pensions.
Research shows the term, which rose to fame in the 1980s, still had a big difference between men and women, where the former gender still made the bigger ratio for WOOPIES.
10. PODWOG (Parents of DINKs Without Grandchildren)
Millennial relationship trends may affect their parents as well. People, especially in their retirement age, have come to expect children running around if they have kids, but with DiNK Couples choosing not to have kids, that doesn’t come to fruition.
11. FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early)
With people getting hyped up with the entrepreneur culture today, FIRE has also gained a significant amount of traction, such as the DINK lifestyle on TikTok, which makes us include it in our little adulthood terminology list.
Your relationship and children’s status don’t matter in this slang, and all has to do with your economic situation and whether you reach financial independence by working and reaching success early in life so that you can stop working before the typical retirement age of 60+ and live the rest of your life on your savings/investments.
12. PUNK or PANK (Professional Uncle/Aunt, No Kids)
While I know the first thought when you hear the word, PUNK, will generally refer to the infamous music genre, or well, an insult, this is a lifestyle slang as well! Used for adults who love their siblings’ or friends’ kids, whilst not having their own, Pro aunts and uncles have financial stability and the time to spend generously with their nieces and nephews. They can be in a relationship/married but are childfree.
(Fun Fact: The term for PANK was coined by Melanie Notkin, who now has a whole persona on it on her socials.)
Source: Amazon.com
13. YAWN (Young And Wealthy Normal)
No, I’m not talking about the act of taking an involuntary action, but another adulthood lifestyle variation. The term “childfree couple” was coined by experienced journalist Evelyn Nieves around the late 2000s in The Sunday Telegraph of London. These signify a person who’s achieved early financial stability, but instead of spending money on luxurious goods and services, they are giving money to charity or philanthropy and living normally.
TINK: Triple Income, No Kids
While we have looked upon individuals and couples until now, which include two partners. We are in the 21st century, and I’ve seen a number of posts about relationships that have three partners in them and how the multiple income streams can work. Though, as one would expect, the percentage of people forthcoming as TINKs (financially independent couples) is low.
To End
Modern relationship acronyms such as DINK or FIRE may have captured the attention of TikTok and Insta, but that’s the tip of the iceberg when we think about each term. Because of a lack of attention to most terms, such as LINK and WOOPIE, people are defining their personality according to themselves. These adulthood labels can help in identifying oneself.