If there’s one thing I’ll take away from 2024, it’s that everything and everyone is brat. And, for better or for worse, it has just been crowned Word of the Year by Collins Dictionary. I’m admitting my severe lack of cool here, but I’m still not entirely sure I understand its meaning, unless you’re describing a stroppy kid who hasn’t got their way. But I’ve peeked out from under my rock for long enough to know that the woman behind the word, or its new usage at least, is the chart-topping, queer icon, Charli XCX.
Collins Dictionary defines ‘brat’ as “characterised by a confident, independent, and hedonistic attitude”which has evolved from Charli XCX’s own definition which describes a girl who “has a breakdown, but kind of like parties through it”. Whilst on a BBC podcast with Annie Macmanus and Nick Grimshaw, she said that someone who is brat might “have a pack of cigs, a Bic lighter and a strappy white top with no bra”.
Of course, the word was originally just the name of Charli’s album—which went to number one in the album charts in October—but became a bit of a cultural phenomenon, with everyone declaring their ‘brat summer’ and adopting the aesthetic. Even the very specific shade of green on the album cover has been caught up in the mayhem and lime green, now literally known as ‘brat green’, will never be the same again.
Each year, Collins’ lexicographers scour social media and other sources to pull together their annual list of new and culturally significant words. And there was no avoiding brat, was there?
Other notable words from the Collins Dictionary’s list include ‘era’also inspired by a certain famous pop star, and ‘before’. Collins’ Word of the Year for 2023 was ‘AI’.
