Oxford Selects “Brain Rot” As The Word Of The Year

The other finalist words were demure, slop, dynamic pricing, romantasy and lore.

“Brain Rot” has been named Oxford’s word of the year for 2024.

The phrase “gained new prominence” this year with its frequency of use increasing 230% from the year before.

Oxford defines “Brain Rot” as “the supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of over-consumption of material considered to be trivial or unchallenging.”

It also particularly refers to content online.

The word was chosen by a combination of public vote and language analysis beating out five other finalists.

The other finalist words were demure, slop, dynamic pricing, romantasy and lore.

The word of the year is intended to be “a word or expression that reflects a defining theme from the past 12 months.”