Late last month, Audacy reported that U.S.-based Dictionary.com named “demure” the word of the year. Now, across the pond, Oxford University Press has named “brain rot” its word of the year.
Notably, both words made the short lists compiled by Dictionary.com and Oxford. While “demure” rose in popularity due to content creator Jools Lebron’s viral videos on TikTok, “brain rot” not only gained traction on social media, it serves as a critique of what social media does to us.
According to the Oxford Word of the Year 2024 report, brain rot is defined as: “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. Also: something characterized as likely to lead to such deterioration.”
To pin down a word of the year, Oxford first analyzes data and trends to identify new words and expressions used over the past 12-month period. Then, it takes votes. Overall, 37,000 were submitted for brain rot, making it the winner.
Oxford explained that brain rot might be trendy, but it isn’t new. Its first recorded use was in Henry David Thoreau’s 1854 book “Walden”. From transcendentalist reflections in the woods of Massachusetts to TikTok videos posted by Gen Z and Gen Alpha content creators, the phrase has traveled in time to find poignancy in the digital age. Usage frequency increased by 230% between 2023 and 2024.
“‘Brain rot’ is now seeing more widespread use, such as in mainstream journalism, amidst societal concerns about the negative impact of overconsuming online content,” said Oxford.
Often, it is used in a humorous or self-deprecating manner. For example, when discussing the viral “Skibidi Toilet” videos and ‘only in Ohio’ memes. However, it had also been used in more serious contexts, such as U.S. mental health center including it in advice for protecting mental health online.
Casper Grathwohl, president of Oxford Languages, said brain rot’s place as word of the year: “Speaks to one of the perceived dangers of virtual life, and how we are using our free time. It feels like a rightful next chapter in the cultural conversation about humanity and technology. It’s not surprising that so many voters embraced the term, endorsing it as our choice this year.”
He also mentioned that there has been a growing preoccupation with our virtual lives in recent years. Last year, the viral term “rizz” – short for “charisma” – was named word of the year. The previous year “goblin mode”, another viral term, won the title and the shortened term “vax” for “vaccine” was the top term in 2021, as COVID-19 vaccines became available to the public.
This year’s Oxford shortlist included “demure” as well as “dynamic pricing,” “lore,” “romanasty,” and “slop.”