“Demure”, a word that gained viral popularity on TikTok thanks to its creator Jools Lebronhave been appointed Dictionary.comWord of the Year 2024.
An announcement on the platform’s website on Monday emphasized the importance of the annual selection.
“The Word of the Year isn’t just about popular usage; it reveals the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves and how we’ve changed over the years. And for those reasons, Dictionary.com’s Word of the Year for 2024 is ‘demo.'” the announcement read.
The word came out on TikTok in August, with LeBron coining the phrase “so skilled, so minded” in a series of viral videos.
He often associated terms like “respectful” and “polite” and “considerate” while sharing advice on how to be humble and respectful in various settings, such as the workplace.
The playful yet thoughtful use of the word inspired dozens of recreations, cementing its cultural influence.
TikToker Jools Lebron is seen at FiDi on September 05, 2024 in New York.
Hapa Blonde/GC Images via Getty Images, FILE
The word demure saw a huge 1,200% jump in digital media usage in August, according to Dictionary.com. Social media buzz saw Google searches soar, with interest up nearly 14-fold in the week of August 18.
On Dictionary.com, searches for demure were 200 times higher at the peak of the trend than earlier this year, highlighting the sudden explosion in popularity.
As a transgender woman, Lebron said “Good morning America“The popularity and attention it received in September greatly improved its financial stabilityto complete his transition and support his family.
“I grew up in a humble part of Chicago, so to finally be able to provide my family with a good home, and to be able to live in a good area. And to be able to not do things where we’re out of survival mode, but to be able to pay for things on my own it’s just life changing,” he said.
