Oxford University Press names ‘brain rot’ as Word of the Year!
From memes to mainstream, the term reflects our obsession with mindless content consumption
Published 04.12.24, 10:06 AM
Image courtesy: Oxford University Press
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
Want to get featured in the
Try This Today
section of
?