Korean slang profile
개미콤플렉스
gaemikompeullekseu
A figurative expression for worrying that one will fall behind coworkers unless one keeps working diligently.
A figurative expression for worrying that one will fall behind coworkers unless one keeps working diligently.
- Expanded form
- Not documented
- Other spellings
- 개미 콤플렉스
- Earliest source found
- Mar 21, 2025
- Documented trend period
- Not verified
This is the earliest source we have verified, not the date the term was coined.
01Examples, with English translations
- Example by Julimmal
쉴 때도 뒤처질까 걱정하는 마음을 개미콤플렉스라고 설명했다.
Worrying about falling behind even while resting was described as 개미콤플렉스.
02Documented history
- March 2025이투데이 introduced the meaning and usage of this expression.[1]
03Origin & word formation
이투데이 explained it in 2025 as a comparison between worker ants and employees’ pressure to work a lot. Who first used it and when could not be established.
Evidence for the origin explanationMedium
The meaning and usage were checked in the source. When it was first used and how it spread need further comparison.
04Sources
Original titles and links are preserved. An English translation does not replace the original source.
- [이투데이 말투데이] 성진임목(聲振林木)/개미콤플렉스 (이투데이)Published Mar 21, 2025Original source checked Nov 13, 2026