brain rot

See also: brain-rot and brainrot

English

Alternative forms

• brain-rot
• brainrot

Noun

brain rot (uncountable)

1. (slang, derogatory) The degradation of mental faculties, intelligence, common sense, or moral character.
   • 1854, Henry David Thoreau, Walden (1897 printing), page 501:

     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?

   • 2016 April, Tom Royer, “Rated M for Millennials”, in Mankato Magazine, published 2017, page 25:

     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.

   • 2020 January, Joanna Ellner, “Diary Of A Mum: Part 6”, in Baby, published 2019, page 61:

     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.

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:brain rot.
2. (slang, derogatory) Media deemed to hold little artistic value and/or negatively impact those who consume it, characterized by only serving to produce a quick dopamine hit.
   • 1978, Lionel Menuhin Rolfe, The Menuhins: A Family Odyssey, page 47:

     […] I remember that I had to stay home and receive a stern lecture on the evils of Tinseltown brainrot.

   • 2003, Tom Cox, Educating Peter, page 111:

     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.

   • 2011, John Vannisselroy, "Reality bites: we need less English Premier League", TNT Magazine, 15 August 2011 - 21 August 2011, page 52:

     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^[sic] hour […]

   • 2024 February 8, Shivé Prema, “What is 'brain rot'? Do you have it?”, in SBS News:

     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.

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:brain rot.