An earlier Cherwell Instagram poll with 783 responses – much smaller in sample size but perhaps more representative of Oxford students – also voted “brain rot” as the clear winner with 45%.
The Oxford Word of the Year award, run by Oxford Languages, is intended to be a word that ‘reflects the ethos, mood, or preoccupations of that particular year and to have lasting potential as a word of cultural significance’. It is decided through various means, including individual social media suggestions, and high-tech software which scans millions of words from online publications over the past twelve months.
