2024’s Words of the Year: Polarization, Brain Rot, and Brat

In 2003, the publisher of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary initiated its own award. On December 9, 2024, it selected “polarisation” as its word of the year, joining a list from other dictionaries for 2024 that features selections like “brat,” “manifest,” “demure,” “brain rot,” and “enshittification.”

The words honored each year are chosen using various methods. For instance, this year, Oxford dictionary editors allowed the public to vote on a shortlist of nominees, resulting in brain rot being crowned the winner.

Other publishers rely on editorial expertise, alongside metrics like online search volumes for certain terms.

Given the significant drop in sales of printed reference books, these yearly announcements enhance the visibility of what publishers offer. Their selections also shed light on the prevailing cultural landscape.

As a cognitive scientist focused on language and communication, I notice that this year’s selections illustrate how digital life intricately influences the English language and culture.

Hits and Misses

This year is not unique in having most winners fall under one overarching theme. In 2020, terms related to the pandemic—Covid, lockdown, pandemic, and quarantine—were prevalent among the choices.

Generally, however, there’s a wider range of selections, with some proving to be more insightful and relevant than others. For example, in 2005, the New Oxford American Dictionary chose “podcast” just before its popularity surged.

More often than not, the celebrated neologisms fade away over time.

In 2008, the New Oxford American Dictionary named hypermiling, which refers to driving in a way that maximizes fuel efficiency. In 2022, Collins Dictionary chose permacrisis, indicating a prolonged state of emergency.

Both terms have seen little use in 2024.

Manifesting Brain Rot

I predict that one of this year’s chosen words—“brat”—will soon be forgotten.

Just ahead of the 2024 U.S. elections, Collins Dictionary named brat its word of the year, defining it as “marked by a bold, self-reliant, and pleasure-seeking attitude.”

Interestingly, it was also the name of a popular album released by Charli XCX in June 2024. In late July, the singer tweeted, “kamala IS brat,” showing her support for the Democratic presidential candidate.

However, following Harris’s loss, brat has lost some of its charm.

Other 2024 words of the year have also capitalized on social media momentum.

In late November, Cambridge Dictionary chose manifest as its word of the year, describing it as “to envision achieving something desired through visualization and affirmation methods.”

The term gained traction when singer Dua Lipa mentioned it during an interview, seemingly influenced by self-help trends on TikTok.

Another term that evidently surged due to social media is “demure,” which Dictionary.com highlighted in late November. Although the term has its origins in the 15th century, it became viral following a TikTok video by Jools Lebron in early August, where she characterized proper workplace interaction as “very demure, very mindful.”

Meanwhile, the Macquarie Dictionary of Australian English selected “enshittification” as its word in early December. Coined by Canadian-British author Cory Doctorow in 2022, it describes the progressive deterioration in functionality or usability of a service or platform—something users of Google, TikTok, X, and dating apps can relate to.

The Oxford dictionary’s 2024 choice—“brain rot”—captures the mentally numbing effects of excessive social media engagement.

The dictionary defines its word of the year as “an alleged decline in one’s mental or intellectual faculties, especially due to overindulgence in content (particularly trivial or unchallenging online material).”

However, the concept of brain rot isn’t new. In the final part of “Walden,” Henry David Thoreau noted that “brain rot” was widespread and “fatal.”

Digital Knives Out

Merriam-Webster named “polarisation” its Word of the Year, defining it as “the division into two sharply distinct opposites; specifically, a condition where the opinions, beliefs, or interests of a group or society are no longer spread across a continuum but instead concentrate at extreme ends.”

Political polarization in the U.S. stems from various factors, including gerrymandering and in-group biases.

Nevertheless, social media undoubtedly plays a pivotal role. A 2021 report by the Brookings Institution shed light on “the link between tech platforms and the extreme polarization that can erode democratic principles and incite partisan violence.” Journalist Max Fisher has reported on how these social media algorithms can “drive users toward outrage,” a conclusion supported by experimental research on the topic.

Despite the political and social polarization, one point remains certain: Dictionaries have reached a consensus that the tech giants shape our lives and our language, for better or worse.

Roger J Kreuz, Associate Dean and Professor of Psychology, University of Memphis

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.