‘Brain rot’ is Oxford’s Word of the Year for 2024

The Oxford Word of the Year 2024 has been announced and it’s a 170-year-old concept that has gained new meaning on social media.

‘Brain rot’ is Oxford University Press’ Word of the Year, a term defined 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’ (reserved or restrained in appearance or behaviour), ‘dynamic pricing’ (the practice of varying the price for a product or service to reflect changing market conditions) and ‘romantasy’ (a genre of fiction combining elements of romantic fiction and fantasy).

The term ‘brain rot’ increased in usage frequency by 230% between 2023 and 2024.

Its first recorded use was found in 1854 in Henry David Thoreau’s book “Walden”, in which Thoreau criticizes society’s tendency to devalue complex ideas: “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?”

‘Brain rot’ has “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,” according to Casper Grathwohl, president of Oxford Languages.

“‘Brain rot’ speaks to one of the perceived dangers of virtual life, and how we are using our free time,” he added. “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.”

Grathwohl went on to say that 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.”

Other announced Words of the Year 2024 include Collins Dictionary choosing ‘Brat’, Cambridge Dictionary going for ‘Manifest’, and Dictionary.com announcing ‘Demure’ as their viral word of the year.