What in the World Does KMSL Mean? (2024)

Breaking down the meaning of this strange internet acronym

BCom. in Business and Information Technology, University of Ontario
Post-Graduate Diploma, Small Business Entrepreneurship, George Brown College

Elise Moreau is a writer that has covered social media, messaging, and streaming. Her work has appeared on Techvibes, SlashGear, Lifehack, and others.

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How KMSL Is Used

Confused? You have the right to be!

This acronym tricks you into thinking there are four words in it when there are only three. Whoever coined the acronym must have believed that "myself" was two separate words (my self) because that's what the abbreviation seems to imply.

KMSL is a variationof LOL. It's a parody acronym that is used when a person wants to convey and exaggerate their amused reaction during a text-based conversation. These days, less common variations of LOL, like KMSL, can be more effective at expressing amusem*nt in a world where LOL has been so overused that it's lostmuch its meaning.

Even though no one ever literally kills themselves with laughter, they can use KMSLto show how much something seems funny to them.Whoever's on the receiving end of the KMSL reaction will probablyget the hint that the person reactingis extremely amused and thus behaving in a very amusedway behind their screen.

Examples of KMSL in Use

Example 1

Friend #1: Got dressed too fast this morning and didn't even realize there was a pair of underwear stuck to my pants until I got to class...

Friend #2: Kmsl!!!

In this example, Friend #2 uses KMSL as a standalone reaction to Friend #1's message. In many cases, nothing more is needed than the use of the acronym all by itself.

Example 2

Friend #1:Did you watch last night's episode of the Big Bang Theory?

Friend #2: Yeah, I was kmsl the whole time... such a funny show!!

In the second example above, Friend #2 uses KMSL in a sentence to describe a reaction they had in the past. You can also use it in the present and future tenses (such as "I'm kmsl" and "I'll be kmsl").

KMSL vs. KML

The exact interpretation for KMSL (Killing Myself Laughing) is sometimes used interchangeably with the acronym KML because KMLdoes away with the extra letter that's unnecessary for the word Myself.

KML has another interpretation, which could be one reason to stick with KMSL. Some people interpret KMLas Kill My Life, which has a similar definition to FML (F*** My Life).

Alternatives to KMSL

KMSL is one of those acronyms that's part of a larger group of creative and exaggerated variations of LOL. Here are three others that you can interchange with KMSL.

PMSL: P***ing Myself Laughing. PMSL is very similar to KMSL, but perhaps just a little more inappropriate.At least it doesn't include an F-bomb.
ROFL: Rolling On The Floor Laughing.More popular than KMSL and PMSL, ROFL is a good one to go with if you want to stick with more recognizable acronyms.
LMAO: Laughing My A** Off.A very well-known variation of LOL, perhaps even more than ROFL.