Brat crowned word of the year as Charli xcx reshapes culture
Every year, the Collins Dictionary selects a word or phrase to crown as the Word of the Year. The competition was fierce this year, but Charli xcx thoroughly overshadowed it. It's no surprise—since the release of the album "brat," this word has been omnipresent. Its influence will likely extend throughout next summer.
1 November 2024 11:43
If you're Gen Z, follow trends, and enjoy pop music with raw electronic influences, there's a good chance you've been in your brat era for at least the whole summer. The surge in popularity of Charli xcx reached 100 km/h almost instantly and shows no sign of slowing. The artist inadvertently launched a trend that has become a lifestyle, influenced fashion, established her as the hottest festival headliner, and made her a compelling candidate for next year's Grammy Awards.
Everyone wanted to experience a brat summer—with colloquial speech adopting "brat" and leaving no doubt of its impact. It's no wonder language experts took note of the phenomenon triggered by the Charli XCX effect. The Collins Dictionary selected "brat" as the Word of the Year 2024 in its annual contest.
Word of the year 2024 selected. What words besides "brat" made the list?
The newly formulated definition of "Brat"—adjective characterized by a confident stance, independence, and hedonism—reflects its pop-cultural impact and global spread into everyday use. Earning first place and the crown is hardly a shock to anyone.
The Collins Dictionary list for the Word of the Year 2024 also included words like:
- brainrot (difficulty in clear thinking, akin to "freezing," caused by consuming low-quality content)
- era (a segment of someone's life or career distinguished by something special)
- looksmaxxing (the effort to maximize one's physical attractiveness)
- rawdogging (in trains, airplanes, and cars: the act of forgoing all entertainment and simply looking out the window or at the flight map)
- anti-tourism (actions taken against tourism on a large scale)
- delulu (living in an illusion)
- romantasy (a literary genre combining romance and fantasy)
- supermajority (a significant majority in a legislative assembly that enables the government to pass laws without adequate checks)
- yapping (talking a lot without sense)
