If you want to sound like you’re with the times, then make sure to add Collins Dictionary’s Word of the Year to your vocabulary: brat.
In 2023, “AI” was named by Collins Dictionary’s Word of the Year, but 2024 is the year of “brat.”
The word was made famous by British singer-songwriter Charli XCX, who released an album titled “Brat” in June 2024. A “brat” is someone, especially a child, who “behaves badly or annoys you.”
But thanks to Charli XCX, “brat” isn’t just the perfect description for the kid kicking the back of your airplane seat throughout a six-hour flight. The word now has a much more positive meaning, emphasizing empowerment.
“Brat” is about having a “confident, independent, and hedonistic attitude.”
“Inspired by the Charli XCX album, ‘brat’ has become one of the most talked about words of 2024,” reads the Collins Word of the Year website.
“Brat Summer” has also become hugely popular and defines an aesthetic inspired by the album. According to Today.com, it’s “defined by party animal antics, cool-girl style, and lime green everything. ”
“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,” states Collins Dictionary.
Here are this year’s shortlisted words:
Anti-tourism — opposition or action against large-scale tourism
Brainrot — an inability to think clearly caused by excessive consumption of low-quality online content
Delulu — utterly mistaken or unrealistic in one’s ideas or expectations
Era — a period of one’s life or career that is of a distinctive character
Looksmaxxing — attempting to maximize the attractiveness of one’s physical appearance
Rawdogging — the act of undertaking an activity without preparation, support, or equipment
Romantasy — a literary genre that combines romantic fiction with fantasy
Supermajority — a large majority in a legislative assembly that enables a government to pass laws without effective scrutny
Yapping — talking at length, especially about inconsequential matters
What do you think of 2024’s word of the year? Let us know in the comments.