The Oxford Dictionary has chosen brain rot as its word of the year

The Oxford English Dictionary has named brain rot, literally translated as "brain rot", as the word of 2024. This was reported on December 2 on its website by Oxford University Press.

It is a slang term, which experts have defined as "the alleged deterioration of a person's mental or intellectual state <...> as a result of excessive consumption of material (especially now online content), which is considered trivial or effortless [for perception]".

The use of the expression in the English language was first recorded back in 1854. It is noted that in 2024 it was used 230% more often. At the same time, it began to describe concerns about low-quality content in social networks and its negative impact on individuals and society.

The word of the year was chosen from six options based on the results of voting by more than 37 thousand people and discussions of experts.

Earlier, on November 1, the British Collins Dictionary chose the adjective brat as the word of the year 2024, which means "characterized by confidence, independence and hedonistic attitude". According to the publisher, it has become popular due to the success of singer Charli XCX's album of the same name and has become a "cultural phenomenon".