Oxford Names ‘Brain Rot’ Word of the Year 2024
The term has gained traction in 2024, with its usage frequency increasing by 230% compared to the previous year.
Oxford University Press (OUP) has announced “brain rot” as the Word of the Year for 2024, following a public vote that saw participation from over 37,000 individuals.
This term was one of six contenders shortlisted by language experts at OUP, reflecting significant societal concerns regarding the impact of excessive consumption of low-quality online content, particularly on social media platforms.
“Brain rot” is defined as the perceived deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state due to the overconsumption of trivial or unchallenging material, especially online content. The term has gained traction in 2024, with its usage frequency increasing by 230% compared to the previous year.
Its origins can be traced back to 1854 when it was first used by Henry David Thoreau in his book Walden, where he criticized society’s preference for simplistic ideas over complex thoughts.
The selection process for the Word of the Year involved a combination of public voting, expert commentary, and data analysis from OUP’s language resources. The other shortlisted words included demure, slop, dynamic pricing, romantasy, and lore, each representing various cultural trends and phenomena.
The voting opened on November 14 and lasted for two weeks before experts finalized their decision based on public input and linguistic analysis.
Casper Grathwohl, president of Oxford Languages, emphasized that “brain rot” encapsulates a growing anxiety about how digital life affects our mental capacities and leisure time. He noted that younger generations, particularly Gen Z and Gen Alpha, have adopted this term, reflecting a self-aware critique of the very digital culture that contributes to “brain rot”.
This year’s choice continues a trend observed in previous selections, which often highlight language shaped by online communities and contemporary issues.
In contrast, other dictionaries have chosen different terms for their Word of the Year. For instance, Cambridge Dictionary selected “manifest,” while Dictionary.com chose “demure,” influenced by social media trends.
