Oxford picks 'Brain Rot' as word of the year: Here’s what is means

Do you find yourself endlessly scrolling through Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts? There’s now a term for this habit—"brain rot", and it has been crowned Oxford’s Word of the Year for 2024. The term beat five other contenders: demure, dynamic pricing, lore, romantasy, and slop. According to Oxford University Press, “brain rot” refers to the “supposed deterioration of a person’s mental state, especially due to overconsumption of trivial or unchallenging online content.”

Interestingly, the word has been around since 1854, when it was first used by American essayist Henry David Thoreau in his book Walden. It gained popularity recently, with its usage spiking by 230% from 2023 to 2024, thanks to social media and digital culture.

Casper Grathwohl, President of Oxford Languages, explained the choice: “’Brain rot’ reflects growing concerns about how we spend our time online. It’s particularly popular with Gen Z and Gen Alpha, who created much of the digital content that the term critiques. It shows their awareness of the impacts of social media.”

What Do the Other Shortlisted Words Mean?

Demure: Describes someone reserved in behavior or appearance, or modest clothing.

Dynamic Pricing: Adjusting product or service prices based on market demand.

Lore: Knowledge or background information about a subject, often tied to stories or history.

Romantasy: A genre blending romance and fantasy, featuring magic or adventure alongside love stories.

Slop: Low-quality or inauthentic content, often AI-generated and shared online indiscriminately.

In comparison, last year’s Word of the Year was “rizz,” a slang term for charisma. Cambridge Dictionary chose “manifest,” while Collins Dictionary picked “brat.”