Glossary · Crypto

NGMI meaning: what do NGMI and WAGMI mean?

NGMI stands for "not gonna make it", crypto slang for someone whose choices are expected to fail; its opposite, WAGMI, means "we are all gonna make it".

Last reviewed by the MarketPro research desk · Editorial policy

Short answer

NGMI means "not gonna make it". In crypto chat it is said about a person, a project or a decision that the speaker thinks is doomed: selling too early, falling for a scam, or simply doubting the crowd. Its cheerful opposite is WAGMI, "we are all gonna make it", a show of group optimism. Both are mostly jokes and badges of belonging, and neither says anything reliable about what a price will do.

Key takeaways

  • NGMI = not gonna make it. A put-down for a choice the speaker thinks will fail, often said self-mockingly.
  • WAGMI = we are all gonna make it. A rallying cry of shared optimism, popular in the 2021 bull market.
  • Both are social signals, not analysis. They reward agreeing with the group, which is exactly the pressure a trader needs to notice.

What NGMI means

NGMI is an abbreviation of "not gonna make it". "Make it" here means getting rich, or at least coming out ahead, from crypto. Calling something NGMI is a prediction that it will fail, delivered as a quick judgement rather than an argument.

It can be aimed at almost anything:

  • A person's decision: "He sold all his coins at the bottom. NGMI."
  • A habit: "Posting your seed phrase to get help from a stranger is NGMI behaviour."
  • A project: "No product, anonymous team, huge marketing budget. NGMI."
  • Yourself: "Bought the top again. I am so NGMI." Self-mockery is one of the most common uses.

The tone ranges from friendly teasing to real contempt, so the meaning depends on who says it and how.

WAGMI: the optimistic opposite

WAGMI stands for "we are all gonna make it", sometimes written "we're all gonna make it". It is a group cheer: everyone holding together will come out fine. You see it as a sign-off on posts, a reply to good news, or encouragement after a bad day: "Rough week, but WAGMI."

WAGMI spread widely in 2021, during the boom in crypto prices and NFT collections, when it became something close to a community motto. It works because it is inclusive. NGMI singles out the outsider who doubts, sells or does something foolish; WAGMI welcomes everyone who stays.

The two are searched and used together because they form a pair. In practice NGMI is often the reply to anyone who questions a WAGMI mood.

Where the slang came from

Neither phrase has a single famous first post the way HODL does. "Not gonna make it" grew out of internet forum and meme culture, including fitness and finance boards, before crypto Twitter adopted the short forms around 2020 and 2021. WAGMI rose with it as the counterweight. By the 2021 bull market both were everyday vocabulary on crypto social media, in Discord servers and in NFT communities.

They belong to a family of crypto slang that turns feelings into shorthand, along with FUD, FOMO (fear of missing out) and HODL.

The trading lesson behind NGMI and WAGMI

These words are fun, but they carry a message worth noticing: agree with the group or be mocked. That is social pressure, and in markets it pushes people toward the same trade at the same time.

When everyone is posting WAGMI, prices have usually already risen a lot, and the pressure is to buy late. When someone gets called NGMI for selling or for asking a hard question, the pressure is to stop asking. Both feed herd mentality, one of the most expensive habits a trader can have.

A few habits help:

  • Treat slang as mood, not data. A wave of WAGMI tells you how people feel, not what an asset is worth.
  • Decide your size and exit before you read the chat. A plan written in a calm moment is harder for a crowd to talk you out of.
  • Notice when you want to belong. If the main reason for a trade is not wanting to be the one who missed out, that is FOMO, covered in the FOMO and revenge trading lesson.

Whether a decision "makes it" depends on risk management and luck, not on how many people in a chat agreed with it.

Written and reviewed by the MarketPro research desk

MarketPro is a trading-signal and trading-education app operated by Harajuku Holdings LTD (Cyprus). Our signal desk publishes and tracks every trade idea in-app, and every page here is checked against the app's live behaviour before publishing. Last reviewed . How we produce signals and content · About MarketPro

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What does NGMI mean in text?
It means "not gonna make it". Someone uses it to say a person, plan or project is likely to fail, often jokingly and often about themselves.
What does WAGMI mean?
WAGMI means "we are all gonna make it". It is an upbeat crypto phrase used to encourage a community, especially after a bad day in the market.
Is NGMI an insult?
It can be. Between friends it is light teasing, and people often say it about their own mistakes. Aimed at a stranger who questions a project, it is a dismissal meant to shut the question down.
What is the opposite of NGMI?
WAGMI, "we are all gonna make it". Some people also use GMI, "gonna make it", to praise a single good decision.
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