Many of us have felt it, and now it�s official: �brain rot� is the Oxford dictionaries� word of the year.

Oxford University Press said Monday that the evocative phrase �gained new prominence in 2024,� with its frequency of use increasing 230% from the year before.

Oxford defines brain rot as �the supposed deterioration of a person�s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging.�

The word of the year is intended to be �a word or expression that reflects a defining theme from the past 12 months.�

�Brain rot� was chosen by a combination of public vote and language analysis by Oxford lexicographers. It beat five other finalists: demure, slop, dynamic pricing, romantasy and lore.

While it may seem a modern phenomenon, the first recorded use of �brain rot� was by Henry David Thoreau in his 1854 ode to the natural world, �Walden.�

Oxford Languages President Casper Grathwohl said that in its modern sense, ��brain rot� speaks to one of the perceived dangers of virtual life, and how we are using our free time.�

�It feels like a rightful next chapter in the cultural conversation about humanity and technology. It�s not surprising that so many voters embraced the term, endorsing it as our choice this year,� he said.

Last year�s Oxford word of the year was �rizz,� a riff on charisma, used to describe someone�s ability to attract or seduce another person.

Collins Dictionary�s 2024 word of the year is �brat� � the album title that became a summer-living ideal.

(AP)