Dictionary.com's 2024 Word of the Year is very mindful, very cutesy

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Dictionary.com’s 2024 Word of the Year has social media users acting pretty coy about their newfound vocabulary favorite. It’s… gentle drumroll, please… “demure.”

 

While the word might sound old-fashioned to some, its resurgence this year has shown that subtlety never goes out of style. Traditionally used to describe someone reserved and modest, “demure” has found new life, thanks in large part to TikTok and creator Jools Lebron, whose viral catchphrase “very demure, very mindful” captured millions of viewers’ attention.

 

 

Suddenly, “demure” wasn’t just a word—it was a movement.

 

Jools Lebron’s videos, which focused on encouraging people to maintain modesty and mindfulness in settings like the workplace, fueled an incredible surge in interest. By August 2024, the term’s popularity had soared, with its usage increasing by 1,200% in digital media from January to August, and searches on Dictionary.com multiplying 200 times over at its peak.

Image: IXL Learning

 

This newfound love for “demure” reflects more than just a TikTok trend—it points to broader cultural shifts as people return to more in-person interactions. Post-pandemic, ideas about personal presentation and decorum have taken on renewed significance.

 

As Steve Johnson, Curriculum Design Manager at IXL Learning, puts it:

 

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“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.

 

The growing usage of “demure” is part of a trend where people increasingly value subtle, empowering choices about how they present themselves in public, Johnson adds. It’s a shift that goes hand in hand with more people stepping back into offices and public life after years of remote and hybrid work. As people return to these environments, the importance of balance, modesty, and decorum seems to be taking center stage, and “demure” has provided a word for that moment.

 

Alongside “demure,” Dictionary.com also highlighted several other words that defined 2024, including “brainrot,” used to describe the effects of spending too much time consuming low-quality content online, and “brat,” which Collins Dictionary also chose as its Word of the Year. Other notable mentions included “extreme weather,” “Midwest nice,” and simply, “weird.”


 

• https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/demure-named-2024-word-year-dictionary/story?id=116218887 
• https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/demure-is-dictionarycoms-word-of-the-year-for-2024-180985538/ 
• https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/lifestyle/hobbiesandactivities/928168/demure-named-2024-word-of-the-year-by-dictionary-com/story/  
• https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2024/11/25/demure-meaning-word-of-the-year-jools-lebron-tiktok/76570688007/