Language is ever-evolving and expanding to accommodate new experiences, perceptions and introspections of the world. New slang words come in and out of fashion and Oxford University Press has been ranking the top word of each year since 2004.
The Word of the Year 2023 winner, which was announced on December 4, is: ‘rizz’.
“‘Rizz’ is a colloquial noun, defined as "style, charm, or attractiveness; the ability to attract a romantic or sexual partner,” the Press explained. They added that they believed that the word had been a shortened form of the word ‘charisma.’
While the simple 4 letter word might have come from the ‘charisma,’ its use has evolved into a verb as well. People may use the phrase “to rizz up,” which means to attract or seduce a person, according to the press.
The 2022 winner had been ‘goblin mode’ which meant to be “unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations.”
Casper Grathwohl, President of Oxford Languages, said “It has been incredible to see the public once again enjoying being a part of the Word of the Year selection. Seeing thousands of people debate and discuss language like this really highlights the power it has in helping us to understand who we are, and process what’s happening to the world around us.
“Given that last year ‘goblin mode’ resonated with so many of us following the pandemic, it’s interesting to see a contrasting word like rizz come to the forefront, perhaps speaking to a prevailing mood of 2023 where more of us are opening ourselves up after a challenging few years and finding confidence in who we are.
“Rizz is a term that has boomed on social media and speaks to how language that enjoys intense popularity and currency within particular social communities—and even in some cases lose their popularity and become passé—can bleed into the mainstream. This is a story as old as language itself, but stories of linguistic evolution and expansion that used to take years can now take weeks or months. The spike in usage data for rizz goes to prove that words and phrases that evolve from internet culture are increasingly becoming part of day-to-day vernacular and will continue to shape language trends in the future.”
The words that were shortlisted for the award
While ‘rizz’ may have ultimately won, several new words this year drew the attention of the prestigious body.
The runners-up, along with the Press’s definitions, were:
- Swiftie - “an enthusiastic fan of the singer Taylor Swift.”
- De-influencing - “the practice of discouraging people from buying particular products, or of encouraging people to reduce their consumption of material goods, esp. via social media.”
- Beige flag - “a character trait that indicates that a partner or potential partner is boring or lacks originality; (also) a trait or habit, esp. of a partner or potential partner, viewed as extremely characteristic, but not distinctly good or bad.”
- Heat dome - “a persistent high-pressure weather system over a particular geographic area, which traps a mass of hot air below it.”
- Prompt - “an instruction given to an artificial intelligence program, algorithm, etc., which determines or influences the content it generates.”
- Parasocial - “designating a relationship characterized by the one-sided, unreciprocated sense of intimacy felt by a viewer, fan, or follower for a well-known or prominent figure (typically a media celebrity), in which the follower or fan comes to feel (falsely) that they know the celebrity as a friend.”
- Situationship - “a romantic or sexual relationship that is not considered to be formal or established.”