word

Oxford University Press names ‘brain rot’ as Word of the Year!

From memes to mainstream, the term reflects our obsession with mindless content consumption

Over the past few years, the Oxford Word of the Year has become a great marker for assessing how communication has evolved in the age of the internet. Social media is increasingly shaping communication and the Oxford University Press has not only recognised this, but also legitimised it by awarding this honour to words like ‘rizz’ and ‘goblin mode’. The organisation has finally declared its Word of the Year for 2024 to be ‘brain rot’! 

Defined as the ‘supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state…’ the word has been increasingly adopted by social media, especially in memes to revel in content that, when consumed excessively, can truly diminish brain cells. However, the beauty of the word is how it doesn’t necessarily have a negative connotation, often celebrating the brain’s rotting. Contrary to popular opinion, the word’s first recorded usage goes way back in 1854, although this went up by 230% over the past year.

 No wonder it won, with more than 37,000 votes!  

— Vedant Karia

Also read: Cambridge Dictionary reveals Manifest as the word of the year