'Rizz' Is Oxford University Press Word of the Year
Oxford University Press has named "rizz" as its word of the year. The popular slang term is used by Generation Z to describe "style, charm, or attractiveness" or "the ability to attract a romantic or sexual partner."
It beat "Swiftie" (an enthusiastic fan of Taylor Swift), "situationship" (an informal romantic or sexual relationship) and "prompt" (an instruction given to an artificial intelligence program) in the annual decision by experts at the publisher of the Oxford English Dictionary.
A list of eight words was chosen by the language experts at Oxford University Press based on how well they show the mood of the year. Over 30,000 people then took part in a public vote to select the four finalists and the winner was announced on December 4.
Rizz is believed to be a shortened form of the word charisma, taken from the middle of the word. This is an unusual way to form a new word, but there are other examples such as "fridge" from "refrigerator" and "flu" from "influenza."
Rizz can also be used as a verb, as in to "rizz up," which means to "attract, seduce, or chat up" a person, the publisher said.
Rizz was first recorded in 2022, but went viral in June of this year when the actor Tom Holland was asked in an interview with Buzzfeed about the secret to his rizz. Holland replied, "I have no rizz whatsoever. I have limited rizz."
"It speaks to how younger generations create spaces — online or in person — where they own and define the language they use," the publisher said. "As Gen Z comes to have more impact on society, differences in perspectives and lifestyle play out in language, too."
American publisher Merriam-Webster included "rizz" on its list of the year's top words but gave first place to "authentic," while Collins Dictionary chose "AI" as its word of the year.
