A slang term for supposed mental damage done by overconsumption of trivial online content triumphed over a shortlist that also included “lore,” “demure” and “slop.”

The more trend-conscious among us might raise an eyebrow at Collins Dictionary’s 2024 word of the year, Brat. The word is tied to Charlie XCX’s album that went viral this summer, but brat summer soon gave way to demure autumn.

See what other terms made the Oxford University Press shortlist and what other publications chose as their word of 2024.

There’s a name for that feeling you get after spending too long scrolling aimlessly, and Oxford University Press (OUP) has chosen it as its word for the year for 2024. “Brain rot” took the title in a vote in which more than 37,000 people participated, as well as public commentary and analysis of OUP’s language data.

Oxford University Press said Monday that the phrase “gained new prominence in 2024,” with its frequency of use increasing 230% from the year before.

Brain rot” beat out five other finalists, including “dynamic pricing,” “lore,” “romantasy,” “slop,” and Dictionary.com’s Word of the Year “demure.” “‘Brain rot’ speaks to one of the perceived dangers of virtual life,

Capping off a year that proved, without a shadow of a doubt, that non- A.V. Club readers are spending too much time ingesting the worst shit imaginable online, the Oxford University Press has named “brain rot” Word of the Year.

Brain rot,' referring to mental deterioration from excessive consumption of trivial online content, has been named Oxford's 2024 Word of the Year. This term reflects the impact of excessive internet use and low-quality information consumption,

You might have heard of the term 'brain rot' as an allusion to mindless scrolling in the voids of social media. The term, mostly used by young people (Generation Z and Generation Alpha), kept being thrown out,