“More than a hugely successful album, ‘brat’ is a cultural phenomenon that has resonated with people globally,” the dictionary publisher said
This year has been the brattiest year on record, thanks to 365 party girl Charli XCX. The overwhelming influence of her sixth studio album has led to “Brat” being named dictionary publisher Collins’ Word of the Year.
Collins announced the accolade on its official website, sharing a graphic of the word “Brat,” in which the letter “A” is replaced by a green apple doing the “Apple” dance beneath the glow of club strobe lights. Fun and whimsy are so back.
The official Collins definition reads: “Brat (bræt) adjective characterized by a confident, independent, and hedonistic attitude.” The dictionary notes that the word has been “newly defined” in 2024. Before, it’s description read: “If you call someone, especially a child, a brat, you mean that he or she behaves badly or annoys you.”
“Inspired by the Charli XCX album, ‘brat’ has become one of the most talked about words of 2024,” Collins shared. “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.”
The essence of Brat and its total discourse domination both online and offline is also reflected in the words Collins shortlisted for Word of the Year. Among them is “Brainrot,” which is defined as “an inability to think clearly caused by excessive consumption of low-quality online content.” The word “Era” was also shortlisted. It’s defined as “a period of one’s life or career that is of a distinctive character.” It could also be defined as “Taylor Swift, in general.”
The rest of the list includes “Looksmaxxing,” “Rawdogging,” “Anti-Tourism,” “Delulu,” “Romantasy,” “Supermajority,” and “Yapping.” You win some, you lose some.