Collins Dictionary reveals 2024’s word of the year

Collins Dictionary has revealed its word of the year — and you’d have to be living under a rock to not see it coming.

It’s the year of brat.

That title has been made official as Collins Dictionary crowned “brat” — which is associated with chaotic behaviour — the word of the year, with a nod to the acid-green Charli XCX record.

“Inspired by the Charli XCX album, ‘brat’ has become one of the most talked about words of 2024,” the company said in a statement.

“More than a hugely successful album, ‘brat’ is a cultural phenomenon that has resonated with people globally, and ‘brat summer’ established itself as an aesthetic and a way of life.”

Previously defined as someone — typically a child — who is unruly, spoiled or annoying, the meaning of “brat” has taken on a new, more favourable definition, “characterised by a confident, independent and hedonistic attitude.”

Charli XCX on stage with Aussie star Troye Sivan at Wembley Arena this year — the year of brat. Picture: Katja Ogrin/Redferns

The word took on new meaning this year. Picture: Nick Oxford for The Washington Post via Getty Images

Charli XCX, who just completed her Sweat Tour with Troye Sivan, has previously described the essence of “brat” as someone who “is a little messy and likes to party, and maybe does dumb things sometimes, who feels herself but then also has a breakdown but kind of parties through it, is very honest, very blunt, very volatile.”

The Brat album, that was released in June and was followed by deluxe and remix records, inspired social media trends — from the viral “Apple” dance to “brat summer” — a legion of Halloween costumes and a campaign revamp from Vice President Kamala Harris.

‘Kamala is brat’ became a catchcry of Harris supporters ahead of the US election. Picture: Nick Oxford for The Washington Post via Getty Images

Brat means ‘a little messy and likes to party’, among other things, UK pop superstar Charli XCX says. Picture: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for WSJ Magazine Innovators Awards

The dictionary company said the buzzy term “has clearly captured something of the spirit of the age,” calling it “fitting” for 2024, “a year when hedonism and anxiety have combined to form an intoxicating brew.”

Collins Dictionary, according to the BBC, looks to buzzy cultural trends to decide on the word of the year, last year landing on “AI”. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the word of the year was “lockdown”.

Runners-up for this year’s word include “brainrot,” defined as the “inability to think clearly” due to “excessive consumption of low-quality online content”, and “era”, a nod to Taylor Swift referring to a distinctive “period in one’s life”.

Gen Z slang like “looksmaxxing,” “rawdogging” and “yapping” also made the short-list, as did “delulu” and “romantasy”.

This article originally appeared on the New York Post and was reproduced with permission

Originally published as Collins Dictionary reveals 2024’s word of the year