The British Collins Dictionary has named Brat the word of the year 2024. It combines hedonism, bright aesthetics, and even the campaign slogan of US Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris (Kamala IS Brat).
What began as the title of an album by the English singer Charli XCX has become a cultural movement as people embrace the Brat lifestyle. Collins says that this clearly reflects the spirit of the era – hedonism and anxiety combined into an “intoxicating brew.”
Brat is the title of Charli XCX’s sixth studio album, which quickly became popular. The most commercially successful song is Guess. According to the singer, Brat is a girl who is “anxious, but that’s why she likes to party. ” She is honest, outspoken, and “a little fickle.” Charli XCX said that Brat is one of those who has a pack of cigarettes, a Bic lighter, and a white strapless top without a bra.
The list of words of the year also included:
- Delulu is something unrealistic in one’s ideas or expectations. It refers to the problems that people face and their tendency to exaggerate their importance.
- Brain rot is a term for clickbait and low-grade content on the Internet that people get absorbed in but won’t remember after a few minutes. It is said to cause brain rot.
- Romance is a hybrid genre that combines “novel” and “fantasy”.
- Era is a word inspired by Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, with which she gathered tens of millions of fans worldwide.
- Anti-tourism is a movement or even an ideology where locals protest against excessive tourism.
- Looksmaxxing is a term that describes the process of maximizing one’s own attractiveness as much as possible.
“Many of the words on this year’s shortlist aren’t exactly new, but they’ve certainly gotten a new lease on life, coming back into fashion for reasons that are sometimes hard to understand,” Collins summarizes.
Last year, the Collins Dictionary named artificial intelligence the word of the year.