Dictionary.com recently crowned "demure" as their Word of the Year on November 25 during a press release, which is a reference to the viral phrase "very mindful, very demure." It was started by TikTokker Jools Lebron. 'Demure' defeated the other choices for this title, which were 'brainrot,' 'brat,' 'extreme weather,' 'midwest nice,' and 'weird.'
Dictionary.com further stated on their website that the word implies someone who is "characterized by shyness or modesty; reserved." Nevertheless, Jools' usage of broadens the definition of the word.
It all began when TikToker Jools Lebron shared a video of her modest work clothes on August 2. The phrase and the video, which had already received over 54 million views as of Monday, November 25, spread like wildfire.
Now, once the news went viral, people took to Pop Base’s X post, which included a photo of Lebron along with Dictionary.com's announcement, to react to the whole thing. Most users left humorous comments under the post. One even referred to the contending word “brat” and said that 'demure' “ended” it.
“ended brat,” wrote one user.
Others also left similar comments. One expressed their disappointment because “tiktok” is allegedly “controlling the dictionary.” Another one even referred to a dialogue from Mean Girls and asked people to stop trying to make the word "happen.”
“So tiktok is controlling the dictionary…. oh it’s over,” said one user.
“The party ended an hour ago and he’s still here,” wrote one sarcastically.
“Stop trying to make demure happen,” one said, referring to a dialogue from the movie Mean Girls.
Meanwhile, others also preached to the choir, and said that the word is “lame” and the announcement was “unexpected.”
“Lame... So many more important words than that garbage...,” said one user.
“Demure is the unexpected word of the year,” another one commented.
“Demure lasted for like a week,” wrote one user.
'Demure' has been crowned the Word of the Year after
Jools Lebron’s video went viral
Additionally, justifying their choice, Dictionary.com stated during the same press release on November 25:
"Following an in-depth analysis of data — from news headlines and social media trends to search engine insights — Dictionary.com’s lexicographers identified demure as the word that left a significant mark on conversations both online and in everyday life.”
It then stated:
"Between January and the end of August, Demure saw a nearly 1,200% increase in usage in digital web media, and had 200 times more searches on Dictionary.com than it did on dates preceding August.”
It all started in early August when Jools made her first post about being modest and thoughtful in the workplace. In the 38-second viral video, she stated:
"You see how I do my makeup for work? Very demure, very mindful, I don’t come to work with a green cut crease. I don’t look like a clown when I go to work; I don’t do too much. I’m very mindful while I’m at work."
She also frequently used her tagline in other videos. On her appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live on August 19, she further talked about her and the word's unexpected success that helped her gain over two million TikTok followers.
Since then, the word spread swiftly, and as per Dictionary.com's website:
"The rise and spread of the term on social media resulted in a similar increase in search interest on Google...By the week of August 18, 2024, however, there was almost 14 times more interest in the term.."
Nevertheless, there are other websites besides Dictionary.com that have revealed their Word of the Year. On November 20, the Cambridge Dictionary named 'manifest' its top choice. Additionally, voting for Oxford University Press's Word of the Year started last week. Some of the words that have been shortlisted are 'slop,' 'romantasy,' 'lore,' 'brain rot,' 'demure,' and 'dynamic pricing.'