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Brainrot, brat, extreme weather, midwest nice and weird round out the shortlist SAN MATEO, Calif. , Nov. 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Dictionary.com , the world's leading digital dictionary, today announced its 2024 Word of the Year: demure . Traditionally used to describe reserved or modest individuals, demure has taken on an expanded meaning this year to signify refined and sophisticated appearances or behaviors. "As remote work fades and in-person experiences become the norm again, the subtle art of personal presentation has taken on renewed importance," said Steve Johnson , Curriculum Design Manager of the Dictionary Media Group at IXL Learning . " Demure captures this cultural shift with a modern twist: a word that once carried traditional, often limiting connotations has been reimagined to celebrate understated elegance and suavity. Its evolving meaning gives people a way to express quiet confidence—embracing modesty and charm as intentional, empowering choices . " In making the annual selection, Dictionary.com 's lexicographers analyzed a wealth of data—including newsworthy headlines, search engine results and social media trends—to identify words that captured pivotal moments in 2024. The word demure dominated the cultural zeitgeist, with its usage in digital media surging a remarkable 1,200% between January and August. This meteoric rise is largely attributed to Jools Lebron, a content creator who popularized the phrase "very demure, very mindful" in a series of TikTok videos illustrating how to embody the term in professional, travel and social settings. The social media buzz surrounding demure sparked a similar spike in search interest. In the 11 months before Lebron's videos, there was no notable trend in Google searches for the term, but interest surged 14-fold by August 2024 . At its peak, searches for demure on Dictionary.com were 200 times greater than their previous rate. While the initial trend has cooled, the word remains five times more popular on Dictionary.com than it was before its breakout moment. Alongside demure, Dictionary.com 's lexicographers identified five additional words that shaped the cultural conversation in 2024, rounding out this year's shortlist. Read more about Dictionary.com 's 2024 Word of the Year at http://dictionary.com/e/word-of-the-year/ . About Dictionary.com Words define every aspect of our lives, from our ideas to our identities. Dictionary.com aspires to empower people to express themselves, make connections and find opportunities through the power and joy of language. With 96 million visitors each month, Dictionary.com is the premier destination to learn, discover and have fun with the limitless world of words and meanings. The brand helps you make sense of the ever-evolving English language so you can put your ideas into words—and your words into action. Press Contact Joslyn Chesson IXL Learning press@ixl.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dictionarycom-names-demure-as-the-2024-word-of-the-year-302315735.html SOURCE IXL Learning
According to , homeownership is still on the minds of young Canadians despite the market’s increasing challenges over the past two decades. In fact, first-time homebuyers under 30 in Canada are doubling down on homeownership as a financial priority over common life milestones — with 40% prioritizing saving for a mortgage over marriage (24%), travel (30%), and buying a car (33%). But there’s one question that many young Canadians ask themselves when it comes to homeownership: how do I even get started? Luckily, there’s , a dedicated resource that works to make Canadian homeownership more accessible. Whether you’re just getting started or building towards buying your next home, Houseful meets you where you are to connect you with agents and support you on your journey — in whatever form that may take. We had the opportunity to sit down with Karen Starns, CEO of Houseful, to talk about the homeownership challenges facing young Canadians, and what steps they can take to prepare for entering the market. While Starns points to price being a major factor in the homeownership challenge, she says it’s less about the price tag of a home, but rather about the trade-offs associated with owning a home. “One of the things Houseful is really good at and that we’ll continue to invest in is helping how do we inform consumers about the possibilities that trade-offs can offer, as it applies to them?” says Starns. “Everyone has an individual journey and different trade-offs they’re willing to make.” Another major challenge is the overarching negative sentiment around the possibility of homeownership, But while the futility of the situation may make for an interesting headline, they’re not letting the negativity affect them. “Young Canadians look at this milestone over other life milestones and know that it’s not going to be easy but still put it high on their priority list.” Overcoming financial challenges, especially in a tougher Canadian market, is definitely a struggle, but Starns stresses that the cost of homeownership isn’t as simple as securing the finances. It isn’t just about the down payment, finding financing for the home, and then paying the mortgage. The cost of homeownership also includes maintenance costs, taxes, and a host of other factors. Again, this is where Houseful can help. With resources like the and a network of industry experts, the platform can connect you with the support and knowledge you need so you can make tangible moves towards owning your next home. “Houseful helps equip young Canadians on the other side rather than just giving them the keys to the front door and thinking the job is done, because it’s a lifelong proposition ... And it’s incumbent upon us to understand it, so they can achieve their objective of starting that process of wealth building.” While speaking with Starns, she recalls a young couple who recently used Houseful to secure their first one-bedroom apartment. “They moved to Vancouver three years ago, and wanted a home in the city as a great investment. Property costs are high in Vancouver, but they set themselves up to start managing their spending well ahead of finding a property that was a good fit for them.” The couple moved into a basement apartment that was under their budget to tackle the challenge of saving while renting. Once they were ready, the couple started using Houseful to understand what they really wanted out of their first home. “There are so many factors that you need to decide upon before investing in a home. Do you want something that’s walkable, do you want to be near the train, or maximize square footage? They started using Houseful and were able to really explore all of their different options.” Houseful helped them connect with a real estate agent who was able to set them up with their current house, which fits with their lifestyle and kicked off their homeownership journey. “Our role is to be in your corner — we offer education and information at every stage of the journey, along with bringing experts to the table.” There are lots of strategies young Canadians can employ if they’re going to start looking into homeownership, but Starns says that understanding your budget is one of the biggest game-changers. You really have to understand where you’re spending so you can see where to cut back to accelerate your goals. Houseful data also reflects this, with their survey highlighting that 74% of first-time homebuyers in Canada under 30 are reducing daily expenses such as dining out and shopping to save for a home. “The budgeting may not be the most fun piece, but as your nest egg continues to grow and you can see the home purchase on the horizon, that’s pretty satisfying, and all within your control.” Another idea Starns stresses is for young Canadians to ditch the idea of a “dream” or “forever” home. It’s not about lowering your expectations, but changing your of what you want in the short- to medium-term, which helps you take advantage of the market’s potential without getting anchored to something you can’t afford. There’s a huge strategic benefit to this — because, once you’re ready to go after that “dream” home, you’ll be in a better position through the equity you’ve built and the experience you’ve already gained being in the housing market. “It’s really fun to look at beautiful homes on the market. I do it all the time, and it’s super enjoyable to look and ask ‘what if.’ But our job, through education, experts, and the tools we offer, is to help drive a level of ability and realism so people can get to their goals faster.” So don’t wait to educate yourself on how you can work towards harnessing the market’s potential. You can check out today to get started.
PTI wants to sabotage national development again: Ahsan IqbalControversial presidential front-runner Calin Georgescu wants Romania to be 'self-sufficient power'US prosecutor asks judge to dismiss 2020 election subversion case against TrumpThe South Carolina women's basketball team has been defeated for the first time since March 31, 2023. The No. 1 Gamecocks fell Sunday in Los Angeles as Lauren Betts posted a double-double effort to lead No. 5 UCLA to a 77-62 triumph. The Gamecocks (5-1) suffered their first defeat after 43 consecutive victories, dating back to the loss to Iowa 77-73 in the NCAA Tournament semifinals. South Carolina defeated Iowa last season for the national championship. Betts finished with 11 points, a game-high 14 rebounds, four assists and four blocks to power the Bruins (5-0) to a historic victory. UCLA also got 15 points from Londynn Jones on 5-of-5 shooting from 3-point range, 13 points from Elina Aarnisalo and 11 each from Kiki Rice and Gabriela Jacquez. It's the first time UCLA has beaten South Carolina since 1981. The Bruins lost twice to the Gamecocks in the 2022-23 season, including in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Te-Hina Paopao had 18 points for South Carolina on 4-of-4 3-point shooting, while Tessa Johnson had 14 points. UCLA won the rebounding battle 41-34, marking the second time this season the Gamecocks have been outrebounded. South Carolina also got outscored in the paint 26-18. It's rare that a Dawn Staley-coached team -- units that typically revolve around dominant centers from A'ja Wilson to Aaliyah Boston to Kamilla Cardoso -- gets beat in the paint and on the glass, but with 6-foot-7 Betts, UCLA had the recipe to outmuscle the Gamecocks in those areas of the game. South Carolina never led after UCLA began the game with an 18-5 run, capped off by back-to-back 3-pointers from Jones. The Gamecocks cut the deficit to nine points in the second quarter, but the Bruins responded with a 17-5 run and entered halftime ahead by 21 points. Aarnisalo scored seven points during that run. From there, the Gamecocks never got within single digits of the lead in the second half. It's the first time in 21 tries that UCLA has beaten an AP-ranked No. 1 team. And it's the first time South Carolina lost a true road game since 2021, a streak of 33 games. The schedule doesn't get any easier for South Carolina. While UCLA faces UT Martin next on Friday, the Gamecocks play No. 8 Iowa State on Thursday. --Field Level Media