33.6 C
Delhi
Wednesday, July 2, 2025

Oxford University picks brain rot as word of the year

Date:

Share post:

Donate-GC-Razorpay

London: The Oxford University has chosen the word of the year by public vote, and it is “brain rot”, the Oxford University Press said in a statement.

The concept of brain rot (literally “brain decay”) is a slang term that the Oxford Dictionary defines as “supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as a result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging.”

The competition page says that the first recorded use of the word was in 1854 in Henry David Thoreau’s book Walden; or, Life in the Woods. It is noted that over the year (from 2023 to 2024), the frequency of use of the expression increased by 230% — the word is used to express concern about the consequences of excessive consumption of low-quality online content, especially on social networks.

More than 37,000 people took part in the voting. The shortlist also included the words “demure” (restrained), “dynamic pricing”, “lore” (a body of knowledge about something), “romantasy” (romantic fantasy), and “slop” (low-quality material on the Internet generated by artificial intelligence).

In 2023, the Oxford English Dictionary chose the word of the year for the first time through a public vote, it was the slang expression “goblin mode.” The dictionary defines goblin mode as “a type of behaviour which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations.”

Related articles

Ditch the Spoon and Fork: Embrace the Indian Way of Eating with Your Fingers

 In an age where we’ve outsourced even our chewing to convenience, where children eat pizza with a fork...

After Delhi’s Yash Kumar Murder, Victim’s Family Receive Death Threats

In yet another tragic incident that sent shockwaves around the national capital and beyond, 20-year-old Yash Kumar was...

Rs 580 cr tax evasion detected in Kerala in year 2024-25

Thiruvananthapuram: The Thiruvananthapuram GST Zone has achieved significant milestones in revenue growth and detection in tax evasion. The...

Syria may sign peace agreement with Israel in coming months – Reports

Beirut: The issue of normalizing relations between Syria and Israel has been practically resolved, and an agreement may...