Brat is officially the word of 2024 according to Collins Dictionary - who have been picking the word or phrase that best defined a year since 2013.
Defined as someone with a "confident, independent and hedonistic attitude" it has been inspired by the release of pop artist Charli XCX’s sixth studio album in June which led to the so-called ‘Brat Summer’.
It beat a shortlist of words that also included Brainrot, era, looksmaxxing, rawdogging, anti-tourism, delulu, romantsy, supermajority and yapping.
A spokesperson for Collins said: “’Brat’ has become one of the most talked about words of 2024. It resonated with people globally and ‘brat summer’ established itself as an aesthetic and a way of life”.
Here we’re taking a look at all 12 words of the year to date - and the shortlisted losers.
1. 2024: Brat
Originally defined as “someone, especially a child who “behaves badly or annoys you”, Brat can also now mean something “characterised by a confident, independent, and hedonistic attitude”. That's due to Chari XCX's album of the same name, which led to 2024's Brat Summer. Everything from Kamala Harris to 'that' shade of green has been described as Brat since. Charli herself explained the meaning further, revealing: “You’re just like that girl who is a little messy and likes to party and maybe says some dumb things sometimes. Who feels like herself but maybe also has a breakdown. But kind of like parties through it, is very honest, very blunt. A little bit volatile. Like, does dumb things. But it’s brat. You’re brat. That’s brat.” | Getty Images
2. 2023: AI
Last year saw many of us understand the impact that Artificial Intelligence could have - including stealing all our jobs. Collins defines AI as: "an abbreviation for artificial intelligence: the modeling of human mental functions by computer programs". It beat shortlisted words Bazball, deinfluencing, nepo baby, ultraprocessed, canon event, debanking, greedflation, semaglutide and ULEZ. | Canva/Getty Images
3. 2022: Permacrisis
It says something about the state of the modern world that 2022's word of the year was 'permacrisis' - simply meaning a permanent crisis. The other shortlisted words were Carolean, Kyiv, lawfare, Partygate, quiet quitting, splooting, sportswashing, vibe shift and warm. | Canva/Getty Images
4. 2021: NFT
Standing for non-fungible token, Collins defines an NFT as "a unique digital certificate, registered in a blockchain, that is used to record ownership of an asset such as an artwork or a collectible." In the real world that means a digital picture of anything from a bored ape to Donald Trump that you supposedly own. The other words in the running were climate anxiety, double-vaxxed, Metaverse, pingdemic, cheugy, crypto, hybrid working, neopronoun and Regency. | Canva/Getty Images