On Monday, Oxford University Press announced that "Brain rot" is the 2024 Oxford Word of the Year.
Oxford University Press said that the phrase “gained new prominence in 2024,” with its 230%-usage increase from last year.
Oxford defines the phrase as “the 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.”
The word of the year is set to be “a word or expression that reflects a defining theme from the past 12 months.”
This phrase was chosen by both of public vote and language analysis by Oxford lexicographers.
It beat five other finalists: demure, slop, dynamic pricing, romantasy and lore.
The first time this phrase used was in 1854 by Henry David Thoreau in his ode to the natural world, “Walden.”
Oxford Languages President Casper Grathwohl 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. It’s not surprising that so many voters embraced the term, endorsing it as our choice this year,” he added.
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