各大词典2024年度英文热词盘点

（图源：剑桥词典官网）

Brain rot，直译为“脑腐”，这个词最早出现在1854年。美国作家亨利·戴维·梭罗在其著名散文集《瓦尔登湖》中，描述了他在湖畔一片再生林中度过两年两个月又两天的生活和思考。他在书中写道：英国尝试治疗土豆腐烂，难道就不努力治疗脑子腐烂？

如今，年轻人经常在社交媒体上用“脑腐”来形容一个人的精神或智力状态衰退，尤其是由于过度消费琐碎的网络内容而导致精神和智力衰退。

Defined as "the supposed deterioration of a person's mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material — particularly online content — considered to be trivial or unchallenging", the term has resonated widely in a digital age increasingly shaped by social media. The phrase also refers to content perceived to cause such deterioration.

在过去一年中，“脑腐”一词的使用率激增约230%。牛津大学出版社的词典部门负责人卡斯珀·格拉斯沃尔表示，它的流行反映了社交媒体推动语言变化的速度惊人。

According to OUP, "brain rot" saw a significant surge in usage — 230 percent — between 2023 and 2024, as conversations grew around the negative effects of consuming excessive amounts of low-quality digital content.

（图源：剑桥词典官网）

“Manifest”原意是形容词“清晰的”“明显的”，其历史最早可追溯至14世纪，但《剑桥词典》之所以把它定为年度词汇，还是因为它在社交媒体时代衍生出的动词化新意：使用具象化和自我肯定等方法来帮助你想象自己如愿以偿的场景，因为你认为这样做会使它更有可能实现。

to use methods such as visualization and affirmation to help you imagine achieving something you want, in the belief that doing so will make it more likely to happen

它的意思就相当于“积极想象”。《剑桥词典》出版经理温达林·尼科尔斯表示，“Manifest”今年在网上的搜索量明显增加，仅剑桥词典官网上就超过13万次。

Wendalyn Nichols, the publishing manager of the Cambridge Dictionary, said the word manifest had “increased notably in lookups” this year, being searched for 130,000 times on the Cambridge Dictionary website.

单词manifest的流行和明星、运动员和网红的助推不无关系，例如，歌手杜阿·利帕（Dua Lipa）、奥运短跑运动员加比·托马斯（Gabby Thomas）和英格兰前锋奥利·沃特金斯（Ollie Watkins）等名人在2024年都谈及通过manifesting实现成功。

（图源：柯林斯词典官网）

近日，《柯林斯词典》评选出了2024年度词汇：“brat”，原义是顽童，即“熊孩子”。但现在被重新定义为“具有自信、独立和享乐主义的态度的人”。

Collins Dictionary has named "brat" its word of the year for 2024, defining it as someone "characterized by a confident, independent, and hedonistic attitude."

这个词因Charli XCX的夏季同名专辑《Brat》而变得流行起来。32岁的Charli XCX解释说，一个典型的 “brat” 就是“那种有点邋遢、喜欢聚会、偶尔说些傻话的女孩，她自信十足，但也可能会有情绪崩溃的时候，不过她会通过聚会来调节。”

A typical Brat, as explained by Charli XCX, is "just like that girl who is a little messy and likes to party and maybe says some dumb things sometimes, who feels herself, but then also maybe has a breakdown, but kind of parties through it."

柯林斯词典认为，“brat”这个词既表达了自我接纳，又展现了叛逆不羁，完美契合了2024年这个享乐主义与焦虑交织共存的独特年份，成为这一年度不可或缺的词汇象征。

Channelling self-acceptance as well as rebelliousness, it's a fitting word for 2024, a year when hedonism and anxiety have combined to form an intoxicating brew.

（图源：韦氏词典官网）

近日，《韦氏词典》公布了2024年度词汇：Polarization（两极分化）。

Collins dictionary went with “brat”. Oxford chose “brain rot”. But in a brutally divided country, the US’s premier dictionary skipped the slang: Merriam-Webster’s word of the year is “polarization”.

《柯林斯词典》选用了 “熊孩子”。牛津选择了 “脑腐”。但是，在一个严重分裂的国家，美国最重要的字典跳过了俚语：《韦氏词典》的年度词汇是 “两极分化”。

Merriam-Webster’s 2024 Word of the Year is polarization, which happens to be one idea that both sides of the political spectrum agree on. Search volume on Merriam-Webster.com throughout the year reflected the desire of Americans to better understand the complex state of affairs in our country and around the world.

polarization /ˌpəʊ.lə.raɪˈzeɪ.ʃən/ 表示“（尤指人或观点）两级分化”，英文解释为“the act of dividing something, especially something that contains different people or opinions, into two completely opposing groups”

《韦氏词典》中“Polarization （两极分化） ”的词条涵盖了科学和比喻意义。最常见的解释是“在对立派别或群体之间引发强烈分歧”。作为月均浏览量达1亿的网站，《韦氏词典》根据搜索量和使用量增长数据来评选年度词汇。

We define polarization as “division into two sharply distinct opposites; especially, a state in which the opinions, beliefs, or interests of a group or society no longer range along a continuum but become concentrated at opposing extremes.”

“两极分化意味着分裂，但这是一种非常特殊的分裂，”《韦氏词典》特约编辑彼得·索科洛夫斯基（Peter Sokolowski）在周一公布之前接受美联社独家采访时说。“两极分化意味着我们正在走向极端，而不是趋向中心。”

索科洛夫斯基说，值得注意的是，“Polarization（两极分化）”一词起源于19世纪初，并非像许多源自拉丁词根的科学词汇那样诞生于文艺复兴时期。他称这个词在英语语言体系中是一个“相当年轻的词”。他继续说：“Polarized是一个能为其他词汇增添强烈对立感的术语，”在美国，它常被用于讨论种族关系、政治和意识形态。

The word was widely used across the media landscape. Fox News reported that “Vance's debate answer on immigration crisis shows voter polarization,” while MSNBC observed that, “The 2024 presidential election has left our country more polarized than ever.” The word was also used to describe divides beyond the U.S. election, as when Forbes warned that in workplaces, “cultural polarization is becoming a pressing challenge.”

然而，颇具讽刺意味的是，人们对“极化”这一词本身却能达成共识。索科洛夫斯基指出，无论是在福克斯新闻（Fox News）、MSNBC还是CNN等媒体中，该词都被广泛使用。