Dictionary.com names ‘Demure’ as its 2024 word of the year

Traditionally used to describe reserved or modest individuals, demure has taken on an expanded meaning this year to signify refined and sophisticated appearances or behaviors.

"As remote work fades and in-person experiences become the norm again, the subtle art of personal presentation has taken on renewed importance,” said Steve Johnson, Curriculum Design Manager of the Dictionary Media Group at IXL Learning.

“Demure captures this cultural shift with a modern twist: a word that once carried traditional, often limiting connotations has been reimagined to celebrate understated elegance and suavity. Its evolving meaning gives people a way to express quiet confidence—embracing modesty and charm as intentional, empowering choices.“

In making the annual selection, Dictionary.com’s lexicographers analyzed a wealth of data—including newsworthy headlines, search engine results and social media trends—to identify words that captured pivotal moments in 2024.

The word demure dominated the cultural zeitgeist, with its usage in digital media surging a remarkable 1,200% between January and August. 

This meteoric rise is largely attributed to Jools Lebron, a content creator who popularized the phrase “very demure, very mindful” in a series of TikTok videos illustrating how to embody the term in professional, travel and social settings.

The social media buzz surrounding demure sparked a similar spike in search interest. In the 11 months before Lebron’s videos, there was no notable trend in Google searches for the term, but interest surged 14-fold by August 2024.

At its peak, searches for demure on Dictionary.com were 200 times greater than their previous rate. While the initial trend has cooled, the word remains five times more popular on Dictionary.com than it was before its breakout moment.

Alongside demure, Dictionary.com’s lexicographers identified five additional words that shaped the cultural conversation in 2024, rounding out this year’s shortlist:

Brainrot (slang, noun): the effects of spending too much time consuming low-quality content on social media; can also refer to the low-quality content itself. 

Brat (slang, noun): someone who is confidently rebellious, unapologetically bold, and playfully defiant. 

Extreme weather (noun): a period of weather or a weather event that is severe and unexpected or abnormal for the location or season in which it occurs. 

Midwest nice (slang, noun): a courteous and agreeable manner, often involving self-deprecation, politeness and avoidance of conflict

Weird (adjective): strange, odd or bizarre.