The word “demure”, very popular among Generation Z, has been announced as the word of the year 2024.
The term topped Dictionary.com’s annual list after it exploded on social media and soon became part of many people’s vocabulary.
Chicago-based TikToker Jools Lebron (known on the platform as @joolieannie) became an internet celebrity after she made a video with the phrase, “Very demure, very conscious” earlier this year.
She was talking about how to look presentable in an office and racked up over 54 million views.
This led to many young people incorporating it into their daily lives, referencing the clip describing things and themselves as “very modest.”
Demure refers to someone who is reserved and modest.
The website said its lexicographers analyzed large amounts of data, including newspaper headlines, social media trends and engine search results to help make a decision.
From January to August, the word “demure” saw a whopping 1,200 percent increase in its online usage.
Chicago-based TikToker Jools Lebron (known on the platform as @joolieannie) went viral after she made a video using the phrase, ‘Very demure, very conscious.’
Jools took to TikTok to express her joy at being crowned “demure” Word of the Year, as she smiled and cheered the news.
In the original video that made the phrase famous, Jools said: ‘See how I put on makeup for work? Very modest. Very aware,” he said in the video.
‘I don’t come to work with a green fold. I don’t look like a clown when I go to work. I don’t do too much. I am very conscious while I am at work. See how I look very presentable? The way I came to the interview is the way I go to work.’
And she continued: ‘Many of you go to the interview like Marge Simpson and go to work like Patty and Selma. Not modest. I am very modest. I am very aware.
Stars like Jennifer Lopez, Olivia Rodrigo, RuPaul, and Penn Badgely have even made their own posts using the expression.
But Jools is currently involved in a legal battle to trademark the phrase “Very demure, very conscientious.”
A person named Jefferson Bates had attempted to trademark the phrase before Julian Rosa also filed the same documents in ‘MUY DEMURE VERY MINDFUL’ just over a week later on August 29.
Jools posted a now-deleted TikTok crying about the development because it effectively ended any chance she had of selling products with the phrase she coined in the first place.
London-based TikToker Deren made a video about being ‘mindful and modest’ at the gym
Summer, an Australian content creator, recorded a clip of her ‘demurely’ studying on the beach
But now, she says she has “handled” the situation in a much more upbeat video, stating that she has a team that is presumably helping her with branding issues.
‘Divas, on the brand front I feel like I have to say something. “We have it under control and I will leave it at that,” he said. “Mom has a team now.”
A woman named Kassandra Pop requested “very demure, very kitsch” on August 24 for advertising services, and Almondia White requested “always demure and very attentive” on August 27 for hats and clothing.
The budding star, who is transgender, has said she hopes to use any profits she has made from selling merchandise to “do a lot for her family” and “provide for her transition.”
The word ‘brainrot’ was also on Dictionary.com’s list of words of the year 2024, which refers to the effects of spending too much time watching low-quality content online.
Usage of Brainrot, which has become popular in both mainstream and social media, saw a 1,000 percent increase in the first half of 2024, compared to 2023.
Even pets have gotten in on the trend, with Maple, a mini Scottish Dachshund, starring in a clip about the demure trend.
British singer Charli XCX released her neon green album called Brat, which helped put the term on the shortlist.
He also commented on his thoughts on the US elections, writing ‘Kamala IS a brat’, endorsing the Democratic politician.
This caused the phrase to explode, with Dictionary.com stating that it propelled the phrase from being “primarily used in online communities by fans of Charli XCX and similar artists to general public use.”
While brat is technically defined as a misbehaving toddler, or used as a shorthand term for a bratwurst, it now refers to someone who is rebellious, bold, and defiant.
‘Midwest Nice’ was also among the popular phrases that increased this year. Describes someone who is helpful, accommodating, and kind, even in situations where they disagree.
“Extreme weather” and “weird” were also words that were used many times, following the numerous storms and hurricanes that hit the United States over the past year.