It’s been a Brat 2024, as the term coined by British pop star Charli XCX has been crowned the Collins Word of the Year.
The artist born Charlotte Aitchison reached a new level of fame upon the release of her critically adored sixth album, Brat, which was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize and sparked an online trend thanks to the album’s cover font and striking neon-green background.
Collins dictionary said that “Brat” had been redefined to be characterised by a confident, independent, and hedonistic attitude" that rapidly became the aesthetic movement of the summer.
It was widely agreed to be a rejection of the preceding “clean girl” trend that promoted a lifestyle of lengthy skincare routines, yoga, early nights and slicked-back hair. Brat, by contrast, encouraged sultry style choices and a form of self-love that made room for mistakes.
Lexicographers at Collins Dictionary put “brat” at the top of the list after looking at media sources, including social media, because the term has been “embraced so widely”.
The dictionary said the phrase had become “one of the most talked about words of 2024”.
In a TikTok explaining her take on the word shared earlier this year, Charli XCX said a “Brat” was someone who has “a pack of cigs, a Bic lighter and a strappy white top with no bra”.
“You’re just like that girl who is a little messy and likes to party and maybe says some dumb things sometimes,” she continued.
“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.”
Such was the phenomenon of Brat that it was co-opted by Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign after Charli XCX tweeted: “Kamala IS Brat.”
The “360” singer officially declared the end of “Brat summer” on Monday 2 September, much to the dismay of fans.
Another word on the Collins dictionary list was “era”, inspired by Taylor Swift’s billion-dollar Eras Tour, which is set to conclude at the end of 2024.
Highlighting how women have been particularly influential in shaping pop culture and social discourse, the dictionary described an “era” as “a period of one’s life or career that is of a distinctive character”.
Other words that feature on the list include “yapping”, which refers to talking at length, especially about an inconsequential matter, and “delulu”, meaning utterly mistaken or unrealistic in one’s ideas or expectations.
“Rawdogging”, which follows a TikTok trend where people post videos of themselves spending long-haul flights doing nothing other than staring at the seat in front of them, also features.
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.”
The lexicographers at Collins Dictionary monitor their 20-billion-word database to create the annual list of new and notable words that reflect our ever-evolving language and the preoccupations of those who use it.
Last year, “AI” was named as the word of the year, with honourable mentions going to “nepo baby” and “debanking”.
Additional reporting by Press Association
