Oxford Word of the Year : "Brain Rot”

For its Word of the Year for 2024, Oxford University Press (OUP) has selected "brain rot":

"Our experts noticed that ‘brain rot’ gained new prominence this year as a term used to capture concerns about the impact of consuming excessive amounts of low-quality online content, especially on social media. The term increased in usage frequency by 230% between 2023 and 2024."

Runners-up for the word of the year included:

• demure
• dynamic pricing
• lore
• romantasy
• slop

Oxford lexicographers have been selecting the word of the year for 20 years and readers can find the complete list on the OUP website.