brain rot
- noun
- /breɪn rɑt/
- Slang
- To avoid brain rot, it's important to engage in activities that stimulate your mind.
Examples
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Excessive use of social media is often blamed for causing brain rot among young people.
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You can't take him seriously, you'll get brain rot.
Blog text (7) -
Too much screen time can lead to brain rot and a decline in mental sharpness.
Synonyms
An illness that damages the brain and makes it work less well
A health problem that harms the brain and how it works
A disease of the brain that affects how it works
Slow loss of nerve cells in the brain or nervous system that causes problems
Antonyms
How Impaired
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is a metaphorical extension of the literal words 'brain' (mind) and 'rot' (decay); a learner who knows both constituents can often infer that it refers to a decline in mental sharpness. However, it relies on figurative mapping (treating the brain as something that can 'rot') rather than a fully literal compositional pattern, so the relation is not entirely predictable without exposure.
Etymology
Brain rot may come from the simple picture of food left too long and starting to rot, but with the brain instead of fruit. So brain rot means 'a loss of quick thinking' from not using your mind or from too much screen time.