Founded in 1889, the American Dialect Society is dedicated to the study of the English language in North America, and of other languages, or dialects of other languages, influencing it or influenced by it. ADS members are linguists, lexicographers, etymologists, historians, grammarians, academics, editors, writers, and ndependent scholars in the fields of English, foreign languages, and other disciplines.
The American Dialect Society began choosing Words of the Year in 1990, and by now, it’s an institution. What makes it most fun for me, is the categories. Also, as a word-watcher, I think the American Dialect Society always does the best job at choosing words that are truly 1) new to the scene, 2) used, and 3) relevant to the year.
Winners of each category are underlined.
WORD OF THE YEAR 2024
rawdog: to undertake without usual protection, preparation, or comfort (extension of earlier meaning ‘to have sex without a condom’)
brat: someone who exudes a confident, hedonistic attitude (in the style of Charli XCX); also adj./ attrib. as in brat summer
crash out: to act irrationally or impulsively; to reach one’s limit; also crashout: a person characterized by extreme emotional reactivity
cooked: totally exhausted or broken beyond repair; humiliated, outperformed or swiftly defeated; hopeless, desperate
sanewashing: downplaying or restating extreme political rhetoric to make it more palatable, esp. referring to whitewashing media coverage
yap: to talk excessively or enthusiastically (valued negatively or positively); also yapper (enthusiastic talker), yapanese (incomprehensible chatter)
MOST USEFUL 2024
lock in: to enter a state of deep focus and concentration
bedrot, bedrotting: the act of lying in bed and avoiding daily responsibilities (also, more positively, hurkle-durkle, n. or v.)
cooked: totally exhausted or broken beyond repair; humiliated, outperformed or swiftly defeated; hopeless, desperate
crash out: to act irrationally or impulsively; to reach one’s limit; also crashout: a person characterized by extreme emotional reactivity
eat (esp. in past tense ate): to execute, accomplish, or complete something remarkably well; also devour, 4+4 = ate
MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED 2024
unserious: lacking a properly serious attitude, often as a dismissive putdown
aura: charismatic presence, often associated with athletes (also aura points)
girlypop: fun, trustworthy female friend (also as an adj.: cute, pretty, or stereotypically girly)
NIL: name, image, and likeness (means for student athletes to receive financial compensation)
tariffied: afraid of the consequences of excessive tariffs
POLITICAL WORD OF THE YEAR 2024
Luigi: used in reference to Luigi Mangione, charged in deadly shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, as in Luigi-pilled, Luigification, Luigi intensifies; also as a verb (to get Luigi’ed)
bleach blonde bad built butch body: epithet used by Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Tex.) toward Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) after Greene insulted Crockett
broligarchy: political structure controlled by a small group of powerful men, especially those considered “techbros”
burrito taxi: mocking term in arguments about the rising prices of using food delivery apps, ridiculing the idea that it is a sign of inflation
lib out: to have false or unrealistic hope and positivity for the future from embracing mainstream Democratic politics
sanewashing: downplaying or restating extreme political rhetoric to make it more palatable, esp. referring to whitewashing media coverage
weird: strange, bizarre, out of step with the mainstream (as used by Tim Walz and other Democrats about Donald Trump and J.D. Vance)
DIGITAL WORD OF THE YEAR
brainrot: mental deterioration from consumption of media/content held to have no redeeming value; also the media itself
AI slop: content generated by artificial intelligence of little value, often intended to flood search results
cope, n: belief or practice that someone uses to emotionally or intellectually deal with a negative circumstance or situation
tradwife: wife who fulfills notions of traditional gender roles, often in line with the white supremacist subculture
Xit, Xodus: mass departure of users from Twitter/X
INFORMAL WORD OF THE YEAR 2024
rawdog: to undertake without usual protection, preparation, or comfort (extension of earlier meaning ‘to have sex without a condom’)
cooked: totally exhausted or broken beyond repair; humiliated, outperformed or swiftly defeated; hopeless, desperate
mewing: jaw-strengthening technique developed by British orthodontist John Mew; a do-it yourself facial restructuring method (also jawmaxxing)
mog: to outdo in attractiveness or appearance; to assert dominance based on physical appearance (derived from AMOG, ‘alpha male of group’)
W, adj.: being the best of its kind or an excellent instance of something (as in W rizz or W crashout)
yap: to talk excessively or enthusiastically (valued negatively or positively); also yapper (enthusiastic talker), yapanese (incomprehensible chatter)
MOST CREATIVE WORD OF THE YEAR
“the X I X-ed”: phrasal template with an invented irregular verb, used as a playful intensifier (as in “the gasp I gusped/guspt,” “the scream I scrempt”)
broligarchy: political structure controlled by a small group of powerful men, especially those considered “techbros”
in da clerb, we all fam: viral quotation used to facetiously assert solidarity, derived from a Broad City sketch
-maxxing (combining form): enhancement to “maximize” one’s attractiveness or appeal (as in looksmaxxing, jawmaxxing)
MOST FUN WHILE IT LASTED WORD OF THE YEAR 2024
brat: someone who exudes a confident, hedonistic attitude (in the style of Charli XCX); also adj./ attrib. as in brat summer
demure: modest and reserved in outlook or appearance, as popularized on TikTok by lifestyle and beauty influencer Jools Lebron
hawk tuah: the sound or action of spitting, esp. in preparation for oral sex; popularized by Hailey Welch in a viral video
hold space: to create a safe space for a person, concept, or thing; to be present without judgment
Heddwen Newton is an English teacher and translator. She is fascinated by contemporary English and the way English changes. Her newsletter is English in Progress. More than 2000 subscribers and growing every day!