Collins Dictionary names Charli XCX’s ‘Brat’ as word of the year
You’re so inspire, ah ah: Charli XCX’s “Brat” is Collins Dictionary’s word of the year. (Getty/Canva)
She’s everywhere, she’s so Julia: Brat, the title of pop icon Charli XCX’s slime-green sixth album, has officially become Collins Dictionary’s word of 2024.
The LGBTQ+ ally’s culture-defining record became an international hit following its release in June, coining the term “Brat Summer” and even influencing the upcoming US presidential election.
Thanks to a marketing campaign that LinkedIn bros could only dream of – garish cover art, collaborations with pop’s biggest players including Billie Eilish, Troye Sivan, and Lorde, a viral TikTok dance – Brat has become the inescapable concept of the year.
As defined by Collins Dictionary, “Brat” refers to people with a “confident, independent and hedonistic attitude”, though the superstar behind the word paints a more intricate picture: it’s someone with “a pack of cigs, a Bic lighter and a strappy white top with no bra.”
In more detailed terms, Charli XCX has dubbed people who are “Brat” as those who have “a breakdown, but kind of like party through it.”
It’s about having a no-f**ks-given exterior, and a secret, actually-I-do-give-a-f**k interior.
Brat topped the UK charts in October, four months after its initial release, thanks to a remix album featuring collaborations with stars including Ariana Grande, Caroline Polachek, The 1975 and Kesha.
The album has spawned several hits, including “360”, “Von Dutch” and “Guess” with Billie Eilish, which hit number one in the UK in August.
Back in July, after it was announced that vice president Kamala Harris would be taking over from Joe Biden as the Democrats’ presidential candidate, the Harris campaign co-opted the lime-green Brat aesthetic to appeal to younger voters.
It led to Charli XCX declaring on her social media that “Kamala is Brat”, prompting news anchors on TV stations globally to dissect what it means to be “Brat.”
Other words that were in contention to be named Collins’ word of the year include “Era”, inspired by Taylor Swift’s global record-breaking tour (and Mistress Isabelle Brooks, of course), “Delulu” – aka delusion – and “Yapping”.
The head-turning term “Rawdogging”, which means forgoing food, drink and entertainment on a flight, was also in the running to be named word of the year.
However, Collins opted for “Brat” as it’s “one of the most talked about words of 2024.”
Brat is available to stream now.
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