‘Brain rot’ named the Oxford Word of the Year 2024

The term was chosen among six shortlisted words, which included ‘demure’, ‘slop’, ‘dynamic pricing’, ‘romantasy’, and ‘lore’.

Will our brains get rotten by consuming too much digital content, especially on social media?

This may need some scientific proof to justify, but the rising concern about the impact of online content consumption on intellectual capacity has made the term ‘brain rot’ the Oxford Word of the Year 2024.

Voted by more than 37,000 people worldwide, ‘brain rot’ emerged as the chosen term from six contenders shortlisted by Oxford University Press (OUP)’s language experts, which included ‘demure’, ‘slop’, ‘dynamic pricing’, ‘romantasy’, and ‘lore’.

First used in 1854 by Henry David Thoreau in his book Walden, the term ‘brain rot’ has taken on a new significance in the digital age, referring to low-quality, low-value content found on social media and the internet, as well as to the subsequent negative impact that consuming this type of content is perceived to have on an individual and the society.

According to OUP's language data, the term has seen a substantial rise by 230% in usage between 2023 and 2024, gaining traction particularly among Gen Z and Gen Alpha users on social media platforms like TikTok.

Definitions of 2024 shortlisted words

Brain rot (n.): Supposed deterioration of a person's mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging. Also: something characterised as likely to lead to such deterioration.

Demure (adj.): Of a person: reserved or restrained in appearance or behaviour. Of clothing: not showy, ostentatious, or overly revealing.

Dynamic pricing (n.): The practice of varying the price for a product or service to reflect changing market conditions; in particular, the charging of a higher price at a time of greater demand.

Lore (n.): A body of (supposed) facts, background information, and anecdotes relating to someone or something, regarded as knowledge required for full understanding or informed discussion of the subject in question.

Romantasy (n.): A genre of fiction combining elements of romantic fiction and fantasy, typically featuring themes of magic, the supernatural, or adventure alongside a central romantic storyline.

Slop (n.): Art, writing, or other content generated using artificial intelligence, shared and distributed online in an indiscriminate or intrusive way, and characterised as being of low quality, inauthentic, or inaccurate.

Commenting on the Oxford Word of the Year 2024, Casper Grathwohl, President, Oxford Languages, said: “'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.”

Oxford Word of the Year is a reflection of significant themes from the preceding year and the ongoing cultural changes. The word is selected through a combination of voting results, public commentary, and analysis of OUP’s language data.

Previous words chosen have included 'selfie' (2013), ‘climate emergency’ (2019), ‘vax’ (2021), ‘goblin mode’ (2022), and the 2023 winner ‘rizz’.

Image / Oxford University Press (OUP)