Not safe for work (NSFW) is Internet slang or shorthand to mark URLs or hyperlinks which contain material such as pornography or profanity, which the viewer may not want to be seen accessing in a public or formal setting such as at work. Determining a site to be NSFW is invariably subjective. The less frequently used warnings PNSFW (Probably/Possibly Not Safe for Work), LSFW (Less Safe for Work), TSFW (Technically Safe for Work), and PNFO (Probably Not for the Office) are sometimes used to indicate content possibly considered salacious (lustful) by certain censors, such as images of underwear or swimwear models, or a news story about sexual issues that does not contain explicit images.
NSFW is also sometimes used to refer to any media that produces sound, such as a game or video file; the implication being that the noises may alert others in the vicinity that the user is taking a break with entertainment materials instead of working. An alternative abbreviation is NSFL, meaning not safe for lunch or not safe for life – this indicates subject matter too grim, shocking, stark, or frank to be recommended without a disclaimer.
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