- An exclamation expressing strong frustration, exasperation, impatience, anger, or sometimes urgent pleading.
- It invokes God's name for emphasis.
- FGS is the common online/texting abbreviation.
Explanation
Origin
- A direct appeal using God's name as an intensifier for strong emotion. This type of phrasing has existed for centuries.
- It falls into the category of expressions considered blasphemous or profane by many religious individuals because it uses God's name in a manner deemed irreverent or casual (taking the Lord's name in vain, as per the Ten Commandments).
- However, it's often used habitually by non-religious people or even some religious people in moments of high emotion, without conscious intent to blaspheme.
Synonyms & Related Expressions
Alternatives
Slang/Informal:
- Seriously?!
- Come ON!
- Give me a break!
- Jeez Louise! (Euphemism for Jesus)
Vulgar/Emphatic:
- For fuck's sake (FFS) (Very common alternative, also vulgar)
- For Christ's sake (Similar potential offense to 'For God's sake')
- God damn it / Jesus Christ (Other potentially offensive exclamations)
Milder Euphemisms:
- For goodness sake / For goodness' sake
- For heaven's sake
- For Pete's sake
- For crying out loud
- Oh, honestly!
Situational Appropriateness
- Informal. Carries a significant risk of offending religious individuals due to blasphemy concerns.
- Stronger and more potentially offensive than its euphemisms (For Pete's sake, For crying out loud, etc.).
- Avoid in formal settings, professional communication, religious contexts, around children, or when unsure of your audience's sensitivity.
- FGS is very common in informal digital communication where brevity is valued and the audience is assumed to be less sensitive.
Misunderstanding Warnings
- The main warning is about causing offense. Learners MUST understand this is considered blasphemous by many Christians and should generally be avoided unless the context is very informal and the audience known to be non-sensitive. It is significantly stronger than For Pete's sake.
Examples
- (Impatience) For God's sake, will you hurry up!
- (Frustration) Oh, for God's sake, not this again!
- (Anger) Leave me alone, for God's sake!
- (Pleading) Help me, for God's sake, I can't lift this alone!
Dialogue
Driver 1 (Stuck behind slow car): For God's sake, is he going to drive 20 mph under the speed limit forever?!
Passenger: Calm down, getting angry won't make him go faster.
Driver 1: I know, but it's incredibly frustrating!
Social Media Examples
- Tweet: My flight is delayed by 3 hours now. FGS, I just want to get home! 😩 @[AirlineHandle]
- Facebook Rant: For God's sake, if you borrow something, return it in the same condition!
- Text: Fgs did you remember to pick up milk?
Response Patterns
- Highly dependent on context, tone, and the listener's sensitivity.
- Can provoke action (Okay, I'm coming!), apology, defensiveness (Don't yell at me!), offense (Please don't use that language), sympathy, or agreement.
Common Follow-up Questions/Actions
- Often precedes or follows a command, a desperate plea, a statement of extreme frustration, or a rhetorical question expressing disbelief. (For God's sake, listen!, What is that awful noise, for God's sake?!)
Conversation Starter
- No. A strong reaction to a situation.
Intonation
- Usually said with strong emotion: anger, exasperation, desperation, or extreme impatience.
- Stress typically falls heavily on GOD'S. For GOD'S sake!
Generation Differences
- Used across many generations, but sensitivity to it might be higher among older or more religious generations.
- Younger generations use it frequently in informal contexts, perhaps with less awareness or concern for its blasphemous origins, alongside stronger alternatives like FFS.
Regional Variations
- Widely used in most English-speaking regions.