‘Brat’ is Collins Dictionary Word of the Year

The title of UK singer Charli XCX’s sixth album is this year’s Collins Word of the Year.  

The dictionary company says ‘brat’ – a term usually describing a badly behaved child and associated with negative connotations – inspired a lifestyle “characterised by a confident, independent, and hedonistic attitude”. 

The term exploded online and on the cultural scene following the June release of Charli XCX’s album ‘Brat’ – which features a minimalistic lime green square as its cover art.  

The LP – which made our Best Albums of 2024 So Far list – quickly became one of the biggest hits of the summer and the term ‘brat’ dominated social media and fashion trends, and even made its mark on the American elections. 

The word has been described by the singer as being representative of someone who might have “a pack of cigs, a Bic lighter and a strappy white top with no bra”. She’s explained on social media how it is similar to the “girl who is a little messy and likes to party and maybe says some dumb things sometimes, who feels herself, but then also maybe has a breakdown, but kind of parties through it”.  

Basically, it’s a hedonistic vibe characterised by partying and having a carefree mindset, one which clashes with the wholesome “clean girl” aesthetic making the rounds on TikTok, based on ideals of groomed femininity, yoga and early nights.

The trend has continued throughout the year, with countless album reissues and even fans spotting that the now-iconic album art looks suspiciously familiar to artwork that first appeared in a Marvel comic which was published in 2007.

Lexicographers at Collins trawled the media and their database and put ‘brat’ number one as it’s been “embraced so widely” and is “one of the most talked about words of 2024”. 

Other words on the 2024 list include ‘rawdogging’ (“the act of undertaking an activity without preparation, support, or equipment,” ie: spending long flights simply staring at the seat in front of you without any other distractions); ‘era’, “a period of time considered as being of a distinctive character”, inspired by Taylor Swift’s hugely successful Eras Tour; ‘yapping’ (“talking at length especially about inconsequential matters”); ‘looksmaxxing’, defined as “attempting to maximise the attractiveness of one’s physical appearance”; ‘brainrot’, “an inability to think clearly caused by excessive consumption of low-quality online content”; and ‘delulu’, stemming from ‘delusion’, meaning having unrealistic expectations.

Many of the words on this year’s list have been popularised by Gen Z and Gen Alpha, with social media apps like TikTok boosting the growth of new words and phrases.

Alex Beecroft, managing director of Collins, said: “With many of this year’s notable words being popularised by generations Z and Alpha, we can confidently say this is the most ‘brat’ Word of the Year list ever.”

Last year’s Collins Dictionary list put ‘AI’, the abbreviation of artificial intelligence, at number one, while ‘nepo baby’, ‘debanking’ and ‘Ulez’ also made the 2023 list.