Thanks to Jools Lebron, demure has become Dictionary.com's word of the year, after the creator's viral video blew up on social media.

“The word ‘demure’ 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,” the announcement read. “This sharp rise is mainly attributed to TikToker Jools Lebron’s popularization of the phrase.”

(Gray News) - “Demure,” a word that gained viral fame on TikTok has been named Dictionary.com ‘s 2024 Word of the Year.

This may have been the year of "Brat summer," but by August another buzzworthy phrase had usurped it in the pop culture lexicon.

Demure,” a word that went viral over the summer, has been named Dictionary.com’s 2024 word of the year –– beating out other contenders like “brainrot,” “brat,” and “weird.”

"Demure" is Dictionary.com's 2024 word of the year — a very mindful, very cutesy choice. The big picture: While the adjective is traditionally used to describe a reserved or modest individual, demure has taken on an expanded meaning this year to signify sophisticated appearances or behaviors — a shift kindled on TikTok.