2024 was the year of brainrot
A comprehensive look into the words that defined this year
Welcome to Gen Z Translator, where I break down trending topics on Fridays. If you’re new, you can subscribe here.Views are my own. Happy reading!
Right after the Color of the Year announcement comes my other favorite pre-New Year’s tradition: the Word of the Year. I love how much this shows about society – and the various options from different dictionaries. Often the dictionaries choose their words based on where they saw an increase in search traffic, usually around societal events or broad cultural movements.
Without further ado, here are the words that defined 2024.
Oxford Word of the Year: brain rot
According to Oxford Dictionary, brain rot is the “supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as a result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging.”
Think of it like watching so much TikTok (RIP) that now you only speak in words like “skibidi.” Brainrot is un-conquerable internet corruption, reflected by lazy speech patterns and/or a lack of critical thinking skills. While I disagree with “brain rot” as opposed to “brainrot,” hence me writing it how I want to write it, I think this dictionary stays the most on the dot with cultural trends. (Last year’s word was rizz).
Here are some other words that saw traffic spikes.
Runner-ups:
demure: see Dictionary.com
dynamic pricing: “the practice of varying the price for a product or service to reflect changing market conditions,” like with spiking concert tickets prices
lore: a personal favorite of mine, lore has taken on definition related to the (often exclusive) history “surrounding a particular celebrity, or a character in a book or film”
romantasy: a combination of the “romance” and “fantasy” genre, the word reflects a growing fad in BookTok1/literary spaces
slop: Oxford saw this in reference to “low-quality, AI-generated material,” especially “unwanted or inferior” content
Dictionary.com Word of the Year: demure
Demure rose in popularity due to a popular meme in August.
“Though the term demure has traditionally been used to describe those who are reserved, quiet, or modest, a new usage has spread through social media — one used to describe refined and sophisticated appearance or behavior in various contexts,” Dictionary.com wrote on their website. “This increased focus on public appearance and behavior comes at a time when employees are increasingly returning to offices after hybrid remote work following the pandemic.”
Runner-ups:
brainrot: see Oxford Dictionary
brat: made popular by Charli xcx’s album, “the new usage of brat redefines the word, using it to refer to someone who is confidently rebellious, unapologetically bold, and playfully defiant”
extreme weather: as related to climate change, “in 2024, extreme weather is not just a scientific term — it’s a part of everyday vocabulary”
Midwest nice: “describes a courteous and agreeable manner, often involving self-deprecation, politeness, and avoidance of conflict”
weird: “generally, a word with such common usage doesn’t see such an uncommon, sharp increase in use across different domains, from politics to social media,” but this year it was “more often in searches related to politics”
Merriam-Webster Word of the Year: polarization
Last year’s word was authentic (meh). This year, it’s polarization. The dictionary defines the word as “division into two sharply distinct opposites; especially, a state in which the opinions, beliefs, or interests of a group or society no longer range along a continuum but become concentrated at opposing extremes.”
Runner-ups:
totality: as related to an eclipse that occurred in the U.S. this year
demure: see Dictionary.com
fortnight: made popular by Taylor Swift’s song of the same name, the word came "out of relative obscurity and into our frequent lookups,” Merriam-Webster said
pander: “to say, do, or provide what someone wants or demands even though it is not proper, good, or reasonable,” also related to the election
resonate: “spiked in lookups following news about how much the word appeals to that most prolific of contemporary writers: ChatGPT”
allision: related to the Baltimore bridge collapse, “allision occurs when a ship runs into a stationary object, while collision…refers only to contact between two moving objects”
weird: see Dictionary.com
cognitive: “of, relating to, being, or involving conscious intellectual activity,” most often in regards to political figures’ state of mind
democracy: “saw a large increase in lookups throughout the year as people tried to fully understand what it means—and to challenge, celebrate, and protect it”
Collins Dictionary Word of the Year: brat
Collins Dictionary joined other dictionaries in including brat, defining it as “characterized by a confident, independent, and hedonistic attitude.”
“More than a hugely successful album, ‘brat’ is a cultural phenomenon that has resonated with people globally, and ‘brat summer’ established itself as an aesthetic and a way of life,” the British dictionary explained.
Everyone say thanks Charli xcx.
Runner-ups:
brainrot: (with the correct spacing), see Oxford Dictionary
era: “a period of one's life or career considered as being of a distinctive character,” think Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour
looksmaxing: “attempting to maximize the attractiveness of one’s physical appearance”
rawdogging: “the act of undertaking an activity without preparation, support, or equipment”
anti-tourism: a movement rejecting “the millions who flock to historic cities and beauty spots”
delulu: short for delusional
romantasy: see Oxford Dictionary
supermajority: “a specified majority of votes”
yapping: an underrated but incredible word, “talking at length, especially about inconsequential matters”
Cambridge Dictionary Word of the Year: manifest
Cambridge defined manifest as “to use methods such as visualization and affirmation to help you imagine achieving something you want, in the belief that doing so will make it more likely to happen.”
“Manifest was looked up almost 130,000 times on the Cambridge Dictionary website, making it one of the most viewed words of 2024,” the dictionary wrote on its website.
Runner-ups:
brat: see Dictionary.com
ecotarian: “reflects the growing movement towards environmentally conscious living”
resilience: “reflecting the strength and adaptability needed in challenging times”
Here’s to manifesting a good 2025.
Read last year’s Words of the Year: Did you have rizz in 2023?
My weekly roundup:
😇 What I’m Doing: Celebrating the new year!
🔎 What I’m Reading: “Mister Impossible” by Maggie Stiefvater
📱 What I’m Scrolling: Cookie ❤️
Read the full Gen Z Dictionary here.
BookTok: A term for the algorithm on TikTok that targets book lovers
Definitely brat!