TL;DR (Too Long; Didn't Read)

TL;DR, short for "too long; didn't read," is internet slang dating from at least the early 2000s. It is used two ways: as a dismissive interjection meaning a block of text was ignored because of its length, and, more constructively, as a label introducing a one- or two-line summary of a longer post so readers can grasp the gist without reading the whole thing.

On Reddit the second use is dominant. Long posts, news write-ups and detailed explanations frequently end with a "TL;DR:" line condensing the argument, and commenters often request one. The convention reflects how the platform's threaded, high-volume format rewards skimmability, and it shapes how information travels: a punchy TL;DR can be quoted, screenshotted and spread far more widely than the post it summarises, sometimes stripping away the nuance the full text contained.