Wiktionary:WOTY/2024

This is an experimental page aimed at recording interesting new words or senses which appeared or were popularized around 2024. The goal is to create a definitive "Words of the Year" list which reflects on language change in 2024. Currently, only English words are recorded, but anyone can contribute in any language.

List

• Golden Retriever boyfriend/GRB (a man who is extroverted and excitable, kind, openly affectionate, confident, happy about life, and immensely caring toward his partner, but possibly naïve or unintelligent) — short-lived TikTok meme around late 2023.
• retvrn (to return to the aesthetics or traditions of an earlier historical era) — has existed for a while, possibly picking up steam as of January 2024 but too early to call (see Google Trends).
• sleepunder/lateover (a kind of playdate, similar to a sleepover, in which a child stays at their friend's house until relatively late and then returns home) — attested since at least 2013 but gained attention after a 2024 NYT article.
• burnt toast theory (the mindset that a seemingly negative event in a person's life could have actually prevented something even worse from occurring) — popularized on TikTok in January 2024 although short-lived.
• looksmaxx (to seek to enhance one's physical appearance) — popularized on TikTok around late 2023; although the word pre-dates TikTok by some years, it was largely restricted to incel slang but appears to be achieving mainstream usage/becoming a meme. Too early to call. [1]
• Leonormania (public enthusiasm for Leonor, Princess of Asturias (born 2005), the heir presumptive to the Spanish throne) — coined by at least early 2023 and peaked around October, but is still seeing some usage this year, i.e. Google Trends.
• millenopause (menopause or perimenopause, as experienced by those in the millennial generation) — attested since at least 2020, but has received a significant amount of news coverage beginning with a NYT article published January 28, 2024.
• girl dinner (a meal composed of many snacks prepared for one person, often using no dishes) – coined mid-2023 (where its popularity peaked) but continues to see growing usage so far this year, i.e. Google Trends, regularly discussed on Twitter (X) and in several news articles in 2024, i.e. Vogue India and Motherly in February.
• orange peel theory (the idea that a relationship is strengthened by seemingly minor acts of service for one's partner, such as peeling an orange for them) — another snore TikTok trend (late 2023/early 2024).
• cooked (exhausted, defeated, hopeless) — Purely anecdotal, but I'm hearing this specific word used more and more as of late February. From some searching it seems to be associated with the streamer Tbvnks. UPDATE April 2024: pageview stats show a large hump centered on February and March.
• GRWM (phrase initalism of get ready with me; n. a video showing how one gets ready (for the day); a GRWM video.) – not entirely sure why but in the United Kingdom this hit 100 on Google Trends again in January 2024.
• bigrant (a migrant to the United States during the presidency of Joe Biden) – some strange Trumpism coined by December 2023, recently trended on the news (The Independent, Salon, CNN) for appearing on some political commentary show (5 March 2024) but it also has lots of real usage examples on X.
• bed rotting (the practice of lying in bed without engaging in daily activities and chores), in other words, being a Wiktionarian. Too early to call but Google Trends suggests it might peak again in March 2024.
• plant point (a point awarded for each different kind of plant-based ingredient in a meal or diet, as a measure of balanced healthy eating) – anecdotal but I have seem this trending recently on various social media sites. It also had a BBC News article in February 2024.
• hurkle-durkle (to lounge in bed for an excessive period of time) — Gained significant traction in early 2024. This seems to be the new "bed rotting". ([2])
• mob wife (a person exemplifying a fashion aesthetic characterized by gaudy and ostentatious clothing, such as fur coats, designer bags, platform heels, and animal print) – TikTok trend, briefly spikes in January 2024. ([3])
• stand on business (to put oneself first and take care of one's own needs before worrying about others) – TikTok slang, popularized in late 2023. ([4])
• bookshelf wealth (an interior design trend or aesthetic which promotes large bookshelves full of books) – obscure TikTok trend, briefly spiked in January 2024. ([5])
• unexpected red theory (an interior design trend based on the idea that any room will look more attractive if you add one red item or feature to it, especially if the red looks strange or wrong with the other colours in the room) – coined in January 2024 on TikTok, seemingly popularised in February and March when featured in several design magazines (see entry on Wikipedia).
• Coordinated Lunar Time (a new lunar time zone standard that the White House has directed NASA to establish by 2026) – coined by NASA in April 2024.
• Genocide Joe (derogatory nickname for Joe Biden due to his support of Israel during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, which many supporters of Palestine allege to be a genocide against Palestinians) – coined in 2023 but Google Trends suggests it peaked in February 2024.
• LDEW (laser-directed energy weapon) – seems to predate 2024 by a decade or so but popularised in January 2024 with the UK's LDEW weapon, DragonFire, unveiled that month.
• OOMF (one of my followers/friends) – existed for a while but Google Trends suggests it peaked in February 2024.
• OOMFie (diminutive of the above) – Google Trends says it peaked around late March 2024.
• yap (to talk, especially excessively; to chatter) – though it was coined perhaps a century ago, this word has been trending insanely hard recently amongst Gen Z, especially as an Internet meme; see the Google Trends for "yapping".
• -maxx ((1) denoting an enhancement or improvement, with the goal of "maximizing" one's attractiveness or appeal but (2) used tongue-in-cheek for a wide range of effects unrelated to romance) – further popularised (especially the second sense) by looksmaxxing since early 2024.
• coquette (of or relating to a feminine style of clothing involving ribbons, frills, and bows) – popularised as a fashion aesthetic on TikTok/a TikTok trend; Google Trends shows a spike in late January 2024.
• slop (content or media of little-to-no value, especially that which is produced consistently and according to trends to satisfy a recommendation algorithm or consumerist demands.) – been hearing this sense a lot recently in reference to YouTube videos/YouTube Shorts. Unfortunately, however, due to the word's multiple meanings the data is hard to track/verify (at least for me).
• dark social (online interactions that cannot be publicly viewed, such as private messages, texts and e-mails) – some marketing term apparently; Google Trends shows a spike in mid-April 2024, but I do not really know why.
• no gree for anybody (stand up for oneself; do not concede) – Nigerian Pidgin; popularised in January 2024 after the Nigerian police proscribed using this term claiming it could cause a rebellion (see The Guardian).
• Epstein Island (Little Saint James, a small private island in the United States Virgin Islands that was owned by American child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein between 1998 and 2019) – peaked in January 2024
• skibidi (various senses, generally a nonsense word) – appeared in late October/early November 2023 but it seems to be making a possible comeback.
• large cap (a company having a large market capitalization) – peaked in mid-March 2024.
• Ichthyotitan severnensis (an extinct taxonomic species within the genus Ichthyotitan – believed to be the largest ichthyosaur (marine reptile) ever discovered at an estimated body length of nearly 25 metres (82 ft)) – formally described in 2024.

Resources for detecting neologisms

• New New York Times
• Google Trends