‘Brain rot’ has been named as 2024’s word of the year by Oxford University Press in a nod to low-quality social media content that is ‘deteriorating’ British people’s minds.
It was defined as: ‘The supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered trivial or unchallenging’.
Oxford University Press crowned the expression following a public vote that saw more than 37,000 people worldwide have their say.
But which other words have made waves throughout 2024 among Gen Z-ers to make Brits feel like they are ageing at a rate of knots?
Read on below for a rundown of the most popular words used by Gen Z over the past year so that you can be up to speed with the latest lingo.
In a much more upbeat video, Jools Lebron, pictured, said she had the trademark situation ‘handled’
Cutesy
An informal and disapproving adjective that means attempting too hard to be appealing or being too cute in an irritating manner, cutesy became recognised following a TikTok trend that saw the word entwined with the phrase ‘demure’.
While its standalone meaning sees it used as a more disparaging adjective, the popular expression ‘very cutesy, very demure’ refers to an attempt by an individual to create a persona that is likeable yet deliberately understated.
Being ‘cutesy’ gives off an apparent air of one being effortless in appearance or exuding style while maintaining an air of innocence or sweetness.
While the earliest-known use of the adjective was in a 1968 New York Times Book Review, the word has made a storming return in the vernacular of youngsters in 2024.
Demure
The phrase ‘demure’ has not only been paired with the word ‘cutesy’ – as it was part of another wildly popular social media craze in the wording ‘very demure, very mindful’.
Referring to an individual who is reserved and modest, the word ‘demure’ is also the subject of an ongoing legal procedure.
Back in August, Chicago-based content creator Jools Lebron became an overnight sensation when she posted a video of herself while showing her followers how they should present themselves in an office setting.
She described her look as ‘very demure’ and ‘very mindful,’ inspiring millions of other social media users to use the phrase in their own posts, videos, and comments.
After one individual filed a trademark for the ‘very demure .. very mindful’ phrase on August 20, Jools posted a now-deleted TikTok sobbing over the development because it effectively killed any chance she had of being able to make a profit from selling merchandise with the phrase she coined.
However, in September, she released an update to say she has the situation ‘handled’ in a more upbeat video.
Jools said: ‘Divas, on the trademark front I feel like I have to say something. We got it handled and I’m going to leave it at that,’ she said. ‘Mama got a team now.’
Brat
Pictured: The now-instantly recognisable Brat album cover, which is the sixth LP released by Charli XCX
While it did not win the word of the year in Oxford University Press’ public vote, ‘brat’ did emerge victorious in a similar competition organised by renowned language reference provider Collins.
Aside from being a popular phrase or part of a wave-riding trend, ‘brat’ became a cultural phenomenon thanks to Charli XCX, as she chose the word as the title for her sixth studio album, which was released in June.
Brat was redefined as being ‘characterised by a confident, independent, and hedonistic attitude’ and rapidly became the aesthetic movement of the summer, the dictionary said.
The movement became about embodying self-love, positive body image and sultry style choices, marking a sharp departure from the preceding ‘clean girl’ trend, which promoted things such as yoga, early nights and slicked back hair.
Lexicographers at Collins Dictionary put ‘brat’ at the top of the list after looking at media sources, including social media, because the term has been ’embraced so widely’.
BFR
Used when imploring someone to tell the truth if they are obviously seen to be lying about something, the acronym ‘BFR’ stands for ‘be for real’ and has enjoyed a resurgence throughout 2024.
Although it has become hugely popular across social media this year, it can be compared to the popular term used in the 1990s and 2000s, telling someone to ‘get real’.
Enjoying a resurgence, a similar phrase – ‘bffr – or ‘be f****** for real’ took TikTok by storm and was used by many to emphasise a point or express a strong reaction to something.
It has frequently been used across social media to extract honest reaction from people or invoke scenarios that other people can identify with, such as: ‘BFFR, we’ve all had a bad hair days, haven’t we?’
Let them cook
This phrase has become popular after initially being used by fans across a variety of different sports to shower praise on a team or individual who are performing particularly well and may be exceeding their own supporters’ previous expectations.
‘Let them cook’ can be used when a team are in full flow and often dominating their opponent, with connotations from fans that they should not be interrupted because they are a joy to watch.
Conversely, to say that someone ‘got cooked’ refers to a team or individual being beaten in embarrassing fashion.
Furthermore, someone who ‘is cooked’ relates to one not having the ability to do something as proficiently as they used to be able to, hinting at decline in both a sporting and wider context.
In your X ‘era’
This phrase has its origins with Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in which the singer performs songs from each of her ‘eras’
Another piece of Gen Z slang to be popularised by a musician is the phrase ‘in your XXX era’ – which is used to mean ‘a period of time marked by distinctive character or events’.
For instance, you might hear a member of Gen Z say ‘I’m in my quiet quitting era’ to mean they are slowly giving up on their job.
This phrase has its origins with Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in which the singer performs songs from each of her ‘eras’.
With hundreds of thousands flocking to Swift’s shows around the world, the associated phrase has steadily taken over social media platforms.
Rizz
‘Rizz’, which loosely means romantic charisma or charm, has recently been popularised by a few big-name celebrities.
For instance, Ryan Gosling said on the Barbie red carpet that rizz was a certain ‘je ne sais quoi’ quality.
‘Rizz’ is also commonly used to describe how flirtatious or adventurous someone opts to be if they are looking to enter a relationship.
The phrase also gained popularity after being used by Spider-Man star Tom Holland in June of this year.
However, according to Dictionary.com, the term actually originated with social media personality Kai Cenat who coined the phrase in 2021.
Low-key
A survey by Amazon of 1,097 Gen Z-aged individuals found that this term was the most popular among the age bracket.
According to the brand’s Alexa device, it means: ‘A sense of understatement, or to describe something that is not overly intense or dramatic.’
While the phrase ‘low-key’ is a well-established adjective meaning ‘of low intensity/restrained’, its use as an adverb has only come about in recent years.
