Every year, new words get added to the lexicon, keeping those on the lookout interested. In 2023, the prestigious Oxford University Press named ‘Rizz’ as its word of the year. By the way, do you know what it means?
OUP names Rizz as word of the year. Photo Courtesy: OUP X page
According to X page of OUP, the meaning of the word is “(n.) style, charm, or attractiveness; the ability to attract a romantic or sexual partner”.
The word was reportedly first recorded in 2022.
However, the word became popular after Hollywood actor Tom Holland used it while he was interviewed by Buzzfeed.
When he was asked what the secret to his rizz was, he told the news portal, “I have no rizz whatsoever, I have limited rizz”.
‘Rizz’ is something you can have and do, though it’s most commonly used as a noun, per Dictionary.com. One can ‘rizz’ a romantic partner at a bar and then use their rizz to hold that person’s attention beyond their initial meeting, reported CNN.
The word fought hard against other top contenders like “Swiftie”, “de-influencing”, “beige flag” and “situationship”, to win the numero uno position in the passing year.
In 2022, OUP had named “goblin mode” as the word of the year.
Casper Grathwohl, president at Oxford Languages, said that while “goblin mode” had resonated with many people after the pandemic, “it’s interesting to see a contrasting word like rizz come to the forefront”, reported BBC.
Collins Dictionary this year named “AI” as the most notable word of 2023.