Meaning & use
cba
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Meaning
abbreviationfixed phraseinformalslang
Short for can't be bothered, used to say you lack the energy or interest to do something.
Grammar: Stands in for a clause and is often followed by an action: I cba to cook tonight.
Patterns
- cba to do something
- cba with something
I cba to go out tonight, I just want to stay in.
Honestly, cba with all this homework.
He asked me to help him move, but I totally cba.
Common combinations
- cba to go
- I cba to go all the way across town for one meeting.
- cba to cook
- We cba to cook, so we ordered pizza.
- honestly cba
- Honestly cba, can we do it tomorrow?
- just cba
- I just cba today, sorry.
Synonyms and how they differ
- can't be bothered
- This is the full phrase and is acceptable in everyday speech, whereas cba is a texting shortcut.
- couldn't care less
- This expresses total lack of concern about an outcome, while cba is about lacking the effort to act.
- meh
- Meh is a reaction showing indifference, but cba says you will not make the effort.
Opposites
Word family
- bother verb
- to take the trouble to do something
- bothered adjective
- worried or interested enough to care
- botheration noun
- annoyance or trouble
Commonly confused: cba or cbt?
cba vs cbt
CBT usually means cognitive behavioral therapy, though in some slang it also means can't be bothered; cba is the more common slang form.
Practice
Which message means the writer cannot make the effort to do something?
Choose one answer.
cba stands for can't be bothered, so the second message works. The first contradicts it with excitement, and the others do not make sense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cba”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.