You look in the dictionaries and this word is meant to refer to a male person, or a "city slicker". When I was younger the word was common in "California surfer talk".

Yet today I overhear my 20 somethings and others using this word in a non gendered way, like more of an expression than referring to an actual person. "Like Dude", everyone is a dude, girls, guys, anybody can be a "dude" these days (I rather avoid the word myself).

What's your take, is the word "Dude" loosing it's gender today ? Just curious.

C -

I don't think I would call a woman dude.  Dudette, said in the same tone, yes. But I am a teech old to be up on the young folks' lingo.

It is pretty commonly used to refer to anyone. 

Quote from: Colleen_definitely on May 10, 2019, 08:25:38 AM
It is pretty commonly used to refer to anyone.

I know that's what I'm hearing. My daughter talking to her girlfriend on the phone calls her "dude" 

I'm originally from Cleveland, Ohio USA, and we call everyone "dude."  Even groups of people are sometimes referred to as "dudes."

So maybe. [emoji846]

Ryuichi

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I've seen the scenario going around online for years asking if a guy would actually refer to his girlfriend/partner/wife as a dude when talking with someone else about them having to slept together and it says all that needs to be said about dude not actually being gender neutral.

Here in the west we use the term Dude Ranch. Dude would be a verb which means inexperienced. On a Dude Ranch you would find people of all ages and all genders.

Yes, when I was much younger, cowboy shows were all the rage on TV and the name Dude was actually an insult  reserved for inept ranch hands.

Today, I have heard some women calling themselves a Dudette. Which I think is cool. 

Still usually used to refer to men, or when people assume someone's a man online, but sometimes to anyone. And some people make a point of saying it to anyone.

I think dude began losing its gender with "Full House" and the girl that called everybody dude. The kids who watched that are aged 25 +, and there will be younger people who watched it in syndication. I tend to think of and use dude as the singular form of "ya'll"

My college friends and I were using it universally since the late 80s.

Duuuude I use it all the time for both genders. A lot of people I know do the same thing.