How ‘Demure’ Became 2024’s Word of the Year

The word “demure” has been named Dictionary.com’s 2024 Word of the Year, largely due to the creativity of TikToker Jools LeBron.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, some of the earliest usage of the word “demure” was recorded in the 14th century, but the word went viral after LeBron posted a video to TikTok this past summer in which she explained how she maintains a professional appearance in the workplace.

“You see how I do my make-up for work? Very demure, very mindful,” said Lebron in the video originally shared on August 5. “I don’t come to work with a green-cut crease. I don’t look like a clown when I go to work. I don’t do too much, I’m very mindful while I’m at work.”

Dictionary.com officially defines the word “demure” as an adjective meaning “characterized by shyness and modesty; reserved” and “affectedly or coyly decorous, sober, or sedate.”

Since posting the original video, the sound has been included in over 100,000 videos. Many celebrities have put their own spin on the video. In one clip, “ICU” hitmaker Coco Jones lip-synced to the sound as she applied make-up in a car. Another features rapper Ice Spice catching some Zs on a private jet. 

Khloé Kardashian, The Rock, and Jenna Ortega have also shared their own versions of the video, and brands like Milk Bar and Scrub Daddy have also joined in on the fun. 

Within weeks of posting the original, LeBron, who identifies as transgender, shared how the viral trend instantly changed her life. In a video shared on August 14, LeBron revealed that she had earned enough money from sound and video monetization to finance her gender transition.

According to a statement from Dictionary.com, the site chose “demure” as its Word of the Year as the word “experienced a meteoric rise in usage in 2024. Between January and the end of August, this term saw a nearly 1200% increase in usage in digital web media alone.”

Dictionary.com credited LeBron for the word’s rise in popularity over the course of the past year. 

“Between August 2023 and July 2024, there was no significant trend in the usage of the word demure,” the site said. “By the week of August 18, 2024, however, there was almost 14 times more interest in the term, highlighting the term’s almost overnight explosion in popularity. At the peak of the trend, demure had 200 times more searches on Dictionary.com than it did on dates preceding August.”

Following the announcement, LeBron took to TikTok to share a reaction to the news, in which she displays excited facial expressions, but doesn’t say a single word.

Very demure!

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