The committee from Macquarie Dictionary have announced their 2024 word of the year and the people’s choice for 2024. Both the Committee’s Choice and People’s Choice winning words are chosen from the list of new entries and senses that are included in the annual update of the Macquarie Dictionary Online.
The People’s Choice Word of the Year 2024 was selected from the public votes cast on the Macquarie Dictionary website. Members of the public were invited to select their top three words from the shortlist.
For the full entries of the shortlisted words, head to the Macquarie Dictionary website.
This year it’s…
Colloquial the gradual deterioration of a service or product brought about by a reduction in the quality of service provided, especially of an online platform as a consequence of profit-seeking.
“A very basic Anglo-Saxon term wrapped in affixes which elevate it to being almost formal; almost respectable. This word captures what many of us feel is happening to the world and to so many aspects of our lives at the moment.”– THE COMMITTEE
Honourable mentions included…
RIGHT TO DISCONNECT (RTD)
A law which grants employees the right not to work or be contacted during non-work hours.
“The lines between work and our private lives have become blurred, especially with the growth in working from home during and after COVID. Making the right to disconnect a federal legal reality was a recognition of this.”
– THE COMMITTEE
RAWDOGGING
Colloquial the act of undertaking a long flight with no electronic entertainment, devices or reading material
“A kind of personal endurance test that lends itself to social media exposure, rawdogging caught the public’s attention this year. The word’s meaning was quickly extended to apply to other aspects of life.” – THE COMMITTEE
PEOPLE’S CHOICE HONOURABLE MENTIONS:
BRAINROT
“Capturing a global trend on social media, consumption of brainrot has become an established pastime. The longlist also reflecting words and practices which feed into the brainrot – looksmaxing, mogging, sigma and skibidi.” – THE COMMITTEE
SOCIAL BATTERY
“An interesting addition to using technological metaphors for explaining cognition. Our experiences emerging from the lockdowns likely making us more aware of the expectations of others in relation to our own wishes and capabilities.” – THE COMMITTEE
