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Oxford University Press has announced 2023’s word of the year. The moment is an awaited one for a subset of internet users, encapsulating the year in a way that’s cool and smart. This year’s word narrowly avoided Taylor Swift-mania, with Oxford Press University that the word “Swiftie,” the noun used to refer to Taylor Swift fans, was almost selected as this year’s pick. Instead, the dictionary opted for a different celebrity this year: Tom Holland.
What is Oxford’s 2023 word of the year?
Oxford’s 2023 word of the year is Rizz. The word means charisma or charm and it went viral in the summer of this year, when Tom Holland was asked about his rizz levels in an interview. “I have no rizz whatsoever,” he said. “I have limited rizz.” It goes without saying that the moment resulted in thousands of memes.
Oxford University Press credits Holland in making it very popular, revealing that search for the word spiked the minute his interview went viral.
What does Rizz mean?
The Oxford University Press describes the word as “Pertaining to someone’s ability to attract another person through style, charm, or attractiveness, this term is from the middle part of the word ‘charisma’, which is an unusual word formation pattern.”
More fun facts about Rizz
The dictionary claims the word Rizz can be used as a verb, often in the phrase “Rizz up,” which they describe as the action “to attract, seduce, or chat up (a person).”
Other words that were almost 2023’s the word of the year include, of course, Swiftie, situationship, de-influencing, beige flag, parasocial, and more. We’re sorry to them all.