Brain rot, a 170-year-old concept that has taken on new meaning in the social media age, is the Oxford Word of the Year for 2024.
Oxford University Press, the publisher of the Oxford English Dictionary, defined brain rot as referring to “the supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material considered to be trivial or unchallenging”.
“Also: something characterised as likely to lead to such deterioration.”
It was chosen in a public vote by over 37,000 people from a shortlist of six words that included “demure”, “romantasy” and “dynamic pricing”.
The word first appeared in 1854 when Henry David Thoreau complained in his book Walden: “While England endeavors to cure the potato-rot, will not any endeavor to cure the brain-rot, which prevails so much more widely and fatally?”
No such endeavour seems to have been made as brain rot “gained new prominence this year as a term used to capture concerns about the impact of consuming excessive amounts of low-quality online content, especially on social media”.
The frequency of the word’s usage increased by 230 per cent between 2023 and 2024.
“‘Brain rot’ 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,” Casper Grathwohl, president of Oxford Languages, said.
“I find it fascinating the term ‘brain rot’ has been adopted by Gen Z and Gen Alpha, those communities largely responsible for the use and creation of the digital content the term refers to. These communities have amplified the expression through social media channels, the very place said to cause ‘brain rot’. It demonstrates a somewhat cheeky self-awareness in the younger generations about the harmful impact of social media that they’ve inherited.”
The Oxford Word of the Year, which aims to reflect the moods and trends of the year, previously saw “rizz”, derived from the word “charisma”, take the title last year. “Goblin mode” and “vax” won in 2022 and 2021, respectively.
After celebrities like pop star Dua Lipa and gymnast Simone Biles spoke of manifesting their successes, the Cambridge Dictionary named “manifest” as its word of the year for 2024.
The term, which gained traction on social media, especially TikTok, was looked up almost 130,000 times on the online Cambridge Dictionary this year.
Wendalyn Nichols, publishing manager of the Cambridge Dictionary, said the word “increased notably in lookups” through 2024.
“Its use widened greatly across all types of media due to events in 2024, and it shows how the meanings of a word can change over time,” she said.
Collins Dictionary also took its cue from social media, naming “brat” as its word of the year, after British pop star Charli XCX’s critically adored sixth album, Brat.
The dictionary noted that “Brat” had been “redefined to be characterised by a confident, independent and hedonistic attitude” that rapidly became the aesthetic movement of the summer.
