Not all of us feel FOMO after skipping out – social media introverts have invented a new term to express their delight at missing out and their ‘patron saint’, Cillian Murphy, is leading the charge
We’ve all heard of FOMO: the fear of missing out on a party or an event on the (very off chance) it turns into the greatest night of your life. Now it’s time to be introduced to its viral introvert-approved antidote: ROMO.
Instead of encapsulating the angst-fuelled frustration of lying in your bedroom wishing you were out instead, the acronym refers to the “relief of missing out”. It’s the feeling you get after you cancel your plans, slip into your pyjamas, switch on the TV and sigh in relief. It’s total contentment with the idea of doing nothing.
While the term has been floating about on TikTok for a little while, it’s just recently gained a boost of popularity after Cillian Murphy – aka “patron saint of the introverts” – used it in an interview with Variety Fair.
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When asked about not being part of Christopher Nolan’s new film ‘The Odyssey’, despite having previously worked with the director, the Irish actor joked that he had “ROMO” and added: “I can’t wait to see it.”
Of course, few people could be better suited as ambassadors for the phrase than the Oppenheimer star. Ironically, despite his efforts to stay out of the limelight, the Irish actor’s introversion has earned himself a niche virality on social media, as clips of his brooding demeanour and apparent disappointment with being interviewed have circulated widely online.
In a 2022 interview with The Guardian, Cillian expressed his discomfort with the attention that comes with fame, and has even earned himself the label “one of film’s most reclusive actors” by the Irish Times. It’s even been reported that the actor doesn’t have Internet in his home, as per The Mirror.
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On X, fans were quick to laugh at Cillian stumbling his way into another viral moment yet again. “Not the most offline person coining a new online term,” one user wrote. “For someone not being a part of the social media vernacular, he’s nailed this,” another joked.
Meanwhile, others have now added the word into their own lexicon. A commenter said: “Gonna start using ROMO for everything now”. Meanwhile, another declared it was their “new life motto”.
Although, while some have credited Cillian with “coining” the phrase, it appears to have been cropping up on TikTok, with some videos receiving millions of views and thousands of supportive comments. Some users have even offered alternatives, such as “JOMO” (Joy of Missing Out), the variant “GIMO” (Glad I Missed Out) and the even more emphatic “survivor’s glee”.
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