♬ 主播：Flora（中国）+ Erin（美国）

♬ 歌曲： Forget Me Nots

Today, we’re talking about a topic that’s always fascinating (有吸引力的): the Words of the Year (年度热词) chosen by major English dictionaries (各大英语词典).

It's already December now. 每到年末的时候各大媒体都会公布自己的“Word of the Year”。These words capture the mood, trends (趋势), and even social challenges (社会挑战) of the past year.

How a single word can capture the mood (捕捉情绪) of an entire year, or why certain words suddenly dominate conversations across the globe? We’ll mainly explore Collins’ and Cambridge’s Words of the Year (柯林斯和剑桥词典的年度最佳词汇) for 2024, along with some shortlisted words (入围词汇).

01. Collins’ Word of the Year: brat 柯林斯词典年度热词——“brat”

Here is the definition of 'brat' from the Collins Dictionary:

如果你叫一个人“brat”，那说明你觉得他表现非常不好or he or she annoys you（让你生气）。

Collins chose brat as their Word of the Year, but not in the way we might expect (并不是以我们可能预料的那种方式).

Traditionally, “brat” was a pretty negative term (贬义词). It’s pretty much the equivalent of the Chinese term “熊孩子”.

However, in 2024, brat got a glow-up. 现在“brat”用来形容一个人：confident（自信），independent（独立），甚至是形容someone with a hedonistic attitude（有享乐主义的人）。

How did this happen?

It started online. Social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram popularized (使流行) the term during the summer because of an album called “Brat” by Charli XCX (因为Charli XCX的一张专辑).

People began celebrating what they called “brat energy (能量)” , which is all about embracing personal freedom and indulgence (享受). It’s the opposite of self-denial or rigid discipline (与自我克制和严格的纪律相反).

It’s interesting how a word with such a negative connotation (带有如此负面含义的词) has been reclaimed (被重新定义) and given this empowering twist (变化). 在一些语境下（In some contexts），现在叫一个人“Brat”已经是对他的夸奖了(it’s a compliment）。

“This is so brat coded.”

“Coded” is a slang term (俚语). 它表示强调一种vibe（氛围）或者行为。所以“This is so brat coded.”我们可以理解为“这真的很brat!”

比如，当一个人表现得很sassy（自信又时髦），carefree（无忧无虑）or even a little cheeky（厚脸皮），you could compliment them by saying：“You are so brat coded.”

So, it’s no longer a bad thing to “be a brat”! Instead, it reflects this generation’s focus on enjoying life and rejecting unnecessary societal constraints (拒绝不必要的社会限制).

“Bratsummer”

一些人用“bratsummer”形容人live unapologetically（没有歉意地活着），在夏天拥抱自己的playful or confident side（顽皮又自信的一面）。

And if we can have bratsummer, then why not bratwinter? Imagine someone rocking their sassiest outfits, sipping hot cocoa (喝着热可可), and living their best life by staying true to themselves (忠于自己), even when it’s freezing outside (即使外面天寒地冻).

Whether it’s summer, winter, or any season, the whole brat vibe is about living boldly (大胆地), unapologetically, and embracing whatever makes you feel most you (拥抱一切让你感到最真实自我的东西).

Some criticism一些批评

当然，有些人会criticize this mindset（批评这种心态）觉得这有些自私（selfish）or even a little indulgent（放纵）。

But honestly, it is really about balance. It’s not about being selfish or disregarding others (不是自私或无视他人)—it’s about prioritizing (优先) your happiness in a healthy way. It’s like saying, “Hey, I deserve to enjoy my life and be unapologetically me, as long as (只要) I’m not hurting anyone.”

So, this mindset can be empowering. 它鼓励人们主动放弃一些unnecessary guilt (不必要的愧疚) or societal pressures (社会压力) and focus on living authentically (真实生活)。

Everyone deserves their brat era!

02. Cambridge’s Word of the Year: manifest 剑桥词典年度热词：“manifest”

Here is the definition of “manifest” from the Cambridge Dictionary:

In Chinese, it means “清楚地显示，显现”.

Traditionally, it means to show something clearly, like evidence or emotion. But in recent years, it’s taken on a new meaning:

That means to imagine achieving something you want will make it more likely to happen (想象自己实现某件事会让它更有可能成为现实). 有点像中文里的“念念不忘必有回响”。

所以当你听到有athletes (运动员)、一些有影响力的人说“I manifested this success.”他们并不是在说他们是通过自己的hard work（努力）实现了成功，而是强调mental focus (心理专注) and positive thinking (积极思考)的作用。

It reflects how people are blending mindset techniques with their everyday goals (将思维方式技巧与日常目标相结合).

比如，如果你终于花了几个月时间得到了你梦寐以求的工作，你可以说：“I spent months manifesting my dream job, and now it’s finally happened.”如果是终于实现了一次期待已久的旅行，你可以说：“I’ve been manifesting this vacation for so long, it feels like a dream.”

The rise of self-help culture 自我提升文化的兴起

This word resonates with the rise of self-help culture and the belief that mindset shapes outcomes (心态塑造结果的信念).

其实 self-help culture就是平时我们看到的教大家如何更好地生活、如何赚钱、或者提升心理健康的视频。那么“manifest”无非就是强调了乐观的心态（optimism）对结果的作用。It’s interesting how the concept combines optimism with action.

A warning (警告) against manifesting

Professor Sander van der Linden of psychology at Cambridge University warned against manifesting.

It may lead people to overlook realistic challenges (忽视现实中的挑战) or the need for practical steps (采取实际措施的必要性). It’s a thought-provoking perspective (发人深省的观点).

It’s easy to get caught up in (陷入) the idea that just thinking positively is enough. But without action, it feels kind of hollow (空洞).

Manifesting alone can’t guarantee success. It’s like hoping to pass an exam without studying. Positive thinking should inspire action, not replace it (积极的思考应该激发行动，而不是取代它).

Erin guesses another issue is how people might blame themselves if things don’t work out. Like, “Oh, I must not have manifested hard enough.” It’s kind of ironic (有点讽刺). Manifesting is supposed to reduce stress, but if taken too far, it could actually do the opposite.

So, finding a balance is key.

03. Cultural significance of words of the year 年度热词的文化意义

“Brat” reflects a focus on individuality and hedonism, while “manifest” speaks to self-empowerment (自强) through mindset.

年度热词“brat”和“manifest”都体现了身份认同 （personal identity），自我表达（self-expression）和心理健康（mental health）在文化交流中的地位和作用。It’s really interesting to see how language evolves with culture (语言是如何随文化而演变的).

节目最后和大家分享两个shortlisted words（入围年度热词的词）。

delulu

For example: “I’m totally delulu about marrying my celebrity crush.” 我完全怎么样和我暗恋的明星结婚。That’s intriguing. 大家可以猜一下这里的delulu 是什么意思。

romantasy

It feels like a mix between 'romance' and something else. Romantasy是"romance"和另一个词的合体，大家可以猜一下另一个词是什么。

Whether you’re manifesting success or embracing your inner brat, we hope you’ve enjoyed learning about this year’s hottest words.

请留言告诉我们：

What other Words of the Year would you like us to dive into (你还想听我们聊哪些年度热词)? And which one is your favorite (哪一个是你最喜欢的)?