Every year, the staff at the Oxford University Press chooses a "Word of the Year" based on criteria like reader votes, "worldwide public discussion," and "analysis of language data." The word often reflects the ethos of the past 12 months. So, when I saw that Oxford chose "brain rot" for 2024, I wondered if the dictionary's lexicographers had watched one too many interviews with Kamala Harris. Because I've certainly felt like my brain rotted when I was subjected to a few months of those incomprehensible word salads.
Anyway, Oxford said that the word "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." Usage of the term reportedly rose 230% between 2023 and 2024. Oxford defines the noun 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."
While you might think of the term as a modern invention, it actually dates back to the 19th century. It was first used in print in 1854, in Henry David Thoreau’s book "Walden," which is a classic memoir about his time spent living a simple life in a cabin on Walden Pond in Massachusetts. In Thoreau's case, it's used to criticize the fact that people favor simple ideas over complex ones, according to Oxford. "While England endeavours to cure the potato rot, will not any endeavour to cure the brain-rot – which prevails so much more widely and fatally?" the book reads.
"Brain rot" wasn't the only word on Oxford's short list. Other contenders included "demure," "dynamic pricing," "lore," "romantasy," and "slop." The word "demure" went viral when a woman named Jools Lebron began using it on TikTok to describe her clothing and makeup choices. Oxford cites an increase in dynamic pricing for items like concert tickets in its reasoning behind choosing that term.
According to Oxford, the term "lore" is often used to describe the story and details surrounding anything from a celebrity to a book to someone's own personal history and has seen an increase in usage this year. "Romantasy" is a book genre that is often talked about on TikTok, and Oxford suggests it has become "mainstream" this year. And "slop" refers to low-quality AI-generated content.
In case you were wondering, 2023's word was "rizz," which Oxford described as "a colloquial noun, defined as ‘style, charm, or attractiveness; the ability to attract a romantic or sexual partner'."
If I'm being honest, I've never actually used any of these words in everyday conversation, but I also don't do TikTok because I feel like it would give me "brain rot," and it sounds like many of these choices were influenced by the social media platform.
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