brain rot en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈbɹeɪn ˌɹɒt/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈbɹeɪn ˌɹɑt/ (General-American)
- (US) audio
Etymology
From brain + rot. First attested in Henry David Thoreau’s book Walden (1854). See cite below.
Meanings
-
(derogatory, uncountable) The degradation of mental faculties, intelligence, common sense, or moral character.
I carried with me a vague awareness of the political state of the world. I had actual views on things. I made mid-conversation gags that mostly paid off. And yet, four months into babyland and I have reached brain rot.
2020 January, Joanna Ellner, “Diary Of A Mum: Part 6”, in Baby, published 2019, page 61:While England endeavors to cure the potato-rot, will not any endeavor to cure the brain-rot, which prevails so much more widely and fatally?
1854 August 9, Henry D[avid] Thoreau, “Conclusion”, in Walden; or, Life in the Woods, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor and Fields, →OCLC, page 348:And then our parents decided that comics books were to blame for their children's brain rot, tossing most of these halftone gems in the garbage.
2016 April, Tom Royer, “Rated M for Millennials”, in Mankato Magazine, published 2017, page 25:
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(derogatory, slang, uncountable) Any form of media content that is deemed to hold little artistic value or negatively impact those who consume it.
Implicit in the idea of brain rot is the fear that those who spend too much time on screens will become less intelligent, such as 'iPad Kids', Gen Z and Gen Alpha children raised in the digital age.
2024 February 8, Shivé Prema, “What is 'brain rot'? Do you have it?”, in SBS News:[…] I remember that I had to stay home and receive a stern lecture on the evils of Tinseltown brainrot.
1978, Lionel Menuhin Rolfe, The Menuhins: A Family Odyssey, page 47:It could be a great album, like Big Star’s Radio City, or it could be one composed entirely of what I deemed to be drab, scum-sucking brainrot, like The Stereophonics’ Performance And Cocktails.
2003, Tom Cox, Educating Peter, page 111:So this winter, I'll chill on the couch watching The Only Way Is Essex or some similar brainrot instead, happy it'll be over in a hour […]
2011, John Vannisselroy, "Reality bites: we need less English Premier League", TNT Magazine, 15 August 2011 - 21 August 2011, page 52We need to hold out hope and wish for the best for Gen Alpha as they are truly capable. But with the polarization of the current times and brainrot they are encountering online, it’s hard.
2023, Nunzio Amon, “The Future of Gen Alpha”, in Medium:
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(qualifier:derogatory or self-deprecatory, slang, uncountable) The state of being obsessed with a particular work of media, particularly to an extent considered to be embarrassing.
I said they both can't act, I still liked the prequels and the acolyte, but it could just be the star wars brain rot that got me lol
2024 July 19, @TFMSW, Twitter:Jojo^([sic]) brain rot is real because why have I just spent the last 10 minutes thinking who'd be better at parallel parking-
2024 July 8, LeiaThompson3, Twitter:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| brainrot | alternative | lexicographic | |
| brain-rot | alternative | lexicographic |
Coordinates
brain candy · junk news · brain damage · standom · junk food news · fake news
Deriveds
brainrotten · Italian brainrot · brainrotted
Descendants
Relateds
Translations (39)
hi मस्तिष्क-सड़न (media deemed to hold little artistic value or negatively impact those who consume it) · ru гниение мозга (media deemed to hold little artistic value or negatively impact those who consume it) · ms reput otak (media deemed to hold little artistic value or negatively impact those who consume it) · es pudrimiento cerebral (media deemed to hold little artistic value or negatively impact those who consume it) · ja 脳腐れ (media deemed to hold little artistic value or negatively impact those who consume it) · lv smadzeņu puve (media deemed to hold little artistic value or negatively impact those who consume it) · az beyin çürüməsi (media deemed to hold little artistic value or negatively impact those who consume it) · es podrimiento cerebral (media deemed to hold little artistic value or negatively impact those who consume it) · ja ブレインロット (media deemed to hold little artistic value or negatively impact those who consume it) · pl brainrot (media deemed to hold little artistic value or negatively impact those who consume it) · sv hjärnröta (media deemed to hold little artistic value or negatively impact those who consume it) · pt brainrot (media deemed to hold little artistic value or negatively impact those who consume it) · ko 브레인 로트 (media deemed to hold little artistic value or negatively impact those who consume it) · bg мо́зъчно гни́ене (media deemed to hold little artistic value or negatively impact those who consume it) · hi ब्रेनरॉट (media deemed to hold little artistic value or negatively impact those who consume it) · ja 脳の腐敗 (media deemed to hold little artistic value or negatively impact those who consume it) · pt apodrecimento cerebral (media deemed to hold little artistic value or negatively impact those who consume it) · nl breinrot (media deemed to hold little artistic value or negatively impact those who consume it) · de Brainrot (media deemed to hold little artistic value or negatively impact those who consume it) · es podredumbre cerebral (media deemed to hold little artistic value or negatively impact those who consume it) · bg бре́йнро́т (media deemed to hold little artistic value or negatively impact those who consume it) · cmn 腦腐 /脑腐 (media deemed to hold little artistic value or negatively impact those who consume it) · id pembusukan otak (media deemed to hold little artistic value or negatively impact those who consume it) · de Gehirnfäule (media deemed to hold little artistic value or negatively impact those who consume it) · vi thối não (media deemed to hold little artistic value or negatively impact those who consume it) · gl putrefacción cerebral (media deemed to hold little artistic value or negatively impact those who consume it) · bn মগজপচন (media deemed to hold little artistic value or negatively impact those who consume it) · sa मस्तिष्कसड्वल (media deemed to hold little artistic value or negatively impact those who consume it) · sa बुद्धिपूति (media deemed to hold little artistic value or negatively impact those who consume it) · es pudrición cerebral (media deemed to hold little artistic value or negatively impact those who consume it) · ar تَعَفُّنٌ دِمَاغِيٌّ (media deemed to hold little artistic value or negatively impact those who consume it) · es putrefacción cerebral (media deemed to hold little artistic value or negatively impact those who consume it) · es podredura cerebral (media deemed to hold little artistic value or negatively impact those who consume it) · is heilafúi (media deemed to hold little artistic value or negatively impact those who consume it) · eo enhavaĉo (media deemed to hold little artistic value or negatively impact those who consume it) · fr brain rot (media deemed to hold little artistic value or negatively impact those who consume it) · gl putrescencia cerebral (media deemed to hold little artistic value or negatively impact those who consume it) · es podre cerebral (media deemed to hold little artistic value or negatively impact those who consume it) · fi aivomätä (media deemed to hold little artistic value or negatively impact those who consume it)