Forget 'buddy', the internet now has a new set of favorite male nicknames for friends

Male friendships are very different from female friendships, as are their ideas about male bonding. They are casual, carefree, and often very chill with each other, which also applies to how they address one another, whether they are colleagues, friends, or even strangers. Recently, an individual on X, formerly Twitter, took it upon themselves to discuss which moniker qualifies as the best.

@DudespostingWs posted an image on X and captioned, "'Buddy' is the most condescending word in dude culture," along with a slew of other names that men like to call each other. His post went viral, with 9.5 million views and hundreds of comments from people who shared their ranking of the monikers. For instance, according to the tweet, words like "fella," "son," and "dude" scored low. Meanwhile, "big dog," "bro," and "man" were considered the best.

But the people on the internet had their own take on these terminologies. For instance, @realjustengel, deemed "boss" the worst, "I hate when someone calls me boss. In college, we had a bro jar. Had to put money in it every time we said 'Bro.' It's not cool and it's overused." @timecaptales suggested, "What about Pal." @CroakVan disagreed with the tweet's conclusion, "Chill out there Cuz. Buddy isn't the worst, Sport. I'm actually sorry you feel that way, Slugger. Us Lads need to stick together, you feel me Fam?"

@praterlucask opined, "If you call people 'Sir,' you're a beta. Sorry, not sorry. 'Buddy' & 'pal' are fine I think. If someone calls me 'bawse,' I think it's condescending. Chief is similar." @BarbarianJayne explained, "I use 'Bud' in business because it is friendly and at the same time not Frat-boy. Buddy is definitely too loose of a greeting. 'Hey Bud' says I am approachable and available to assist." @NonsenseFound echoed the OG tweet, "'Buddy' sucks but 'guy' is hilariously dismissive."

Meanwhile, this individual @RexUmberleigh shared a personal anecdote, "There's a guy near me with a couple of small businesses. He's about 5'4", bald, and built like a tank. Always smiling, always in a good mood. Usually calls men he gets along with 'Big Sexy.' Hilarious when he does it to someone older who's never interacted with him." @RealJohnSacco considers "buddy" to be an insult, "I only call my kids 'Buddy' with affection. It’s an insult if I use it towards a grown man."

Some people came up with new monikers like @vinceguerrieri who wrote, "Parking attendant called me 'Coach' the other day. Gotta admit THAT was a new one." @AaronLionheart8 declared, "Champ is actually the G.O.A.T." @masterofnone_75 shared, "My son is 20. We were up at our lake house and he and his friends were getting groceries. A girl walked past them and called them big dogs and they were absolutely radiant, beaming for the rest of the day."

It is a common notion that men cannot showcase their true emotions, even to their male friends. So, a page on TikTok, @sheisnotyourrehab1, set out to change this narrative by asking multiple men to call their male friends and say, "love you."

The video caption reads, "The power of 'Love U, bro.' I have genuinely loved many men and told them countless times throughout my barber career. Men from all different backgrounds, ethnicities, and cultures from me." These random phone calls to express love to their friends brought out the vulnerable side of men often hidden. And the reactions these men received were too heartwarming to miss.