Word of the year 2024 by Dictionary.com
Credit: Dictionary.com
‘Demure’ has been named the word of the year for 2024, by Dictionary.com. The word gained its popularity through the catchphrase “Very demure, very mindful,” which took the internet by storm after being used by lifestyle and beauty influencer Jools Lebron.
Dictionary.com said the rise of the usage of the word demure was ‘meteoric’ in 2024. There was a 1200 per cent increase in its usage in digital media and the word was searched more than 200 times on the website.
The platform's lexicographers analyse headlines, social media trends, search engines results and other data to ascertain its word of the year. They call it a "linguistic time capsule” that captures pivotal moments in language and culture.
The new usage refers to how to be modest and respectful in various settings, such as the workplace. Often, the word is used in a satirical sense.
In a video, TikToker Lebron said, “You see how I do my makeup for work? Very demure. Very mindful. The way I came to the interview is the way I go to the job. A lot of you girls go to the interview looking like Marge Simpson and go to the job looking like (her sisters) Patty and Selma. Not demure,”
The traction the catchphrase gained was transformative for the transgender influencer Lebron. Her following saw a massive spike on social media.
Celebrities Jennifer Lopez, Khloe Kardashian, and RuPaul made their own videos joining the trend. Big companies are using it to promote their brands too.
Even the White House joined the trend, promoting the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. “Cancelling the student debt of nearly 5 million Americans through various actions. Very mindful. Very demure,” the official handle of the White House wrote with a picture of the US President Joe Biden.
There has been a spike in trademark applications by people for the phrase ‘very demure, very mindful’.
The word of the year in 2023 was “hallucinate”, referring to the rise of artificial intelligence and chatbots that can often prompt the spread of misinformation. Some of the other contenders for the title this year were “brainrot,” “brat,” and “weird”.