American Dialect Society

Nominations for Words of the Year 2024

Nominations for Words of the Year 2024 follow below.

The final selection will be held at 6:45 pm EST on Friday, Jan. 10 (in Ballroom Salons E-F of the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown).

American Dialect Society 2024 Words of the Year

NOMINATIONS to be voted on by the American Dialect Society, Jan. 10, 2025, Philadelphia, PA

MOST CREATIVE WORD OF THE YEAR

  • 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)
  • “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”)

INFORMAL WORD OF THE YEAR

  • cooked: totally exhausted or depleted
  • 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’)
  • rawdog: to undertake without usual protection, preparation, or comfort (extension of earlier meaning ‘to have sex without a condom’)
  • 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)

POLITICAL WORD OF THE YEAR

  • 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
  • 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)
  • sanewashing: downplaying or restating extreme or incoherent political rhetoric to make it more palatable, esp. referring to whitewashing media coverage

DIGITAL WORD OF THE YEAR

  • AI slop: content generated by artificial intelligence of little to no value, intended to flood online search results
  • brainrot: mental deterioration from consumption of media/content held to have no redeeming value; also the media itself; identity marker for Gen Z/Gen Alpha (both positive and negative)
  • 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

MOST USEFUL

  • bedrot, bedrotting: the act of lying in bed and avoiding daily responsibilities (also, more positively, hurkle-durkle, n. or v.)
  • cooked: totally exhausted or depleted
  • crash out: to be overwhelmed and unable to continue with one’s efforts or responsibilities; also  crashout: person who has reached their limit
  • eat: to execute, accomplish, or complete something remarkably well; also devour, 4+4 = ate
  • lock in: to enter a state of deep focus and concentration

MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED

  • 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
  • unserious: lacking a properly serious attitude; used as a dismissive putdown

MOST FUN WHILE IT LASTED (ad-hoc category)

  • 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 Haliey Welch in a viral video
  • hold space: to create a safe space for a person, concept, or thing; to be present without judgment

WORD OF THE YEAR

Nominations to be made at final meeting.