Rizz has been chosen as the Oxford 2023 word of the year after Spiderman actor Tom Holland used it in an interview.
A team of experts and members of the public led it to be selected as the word that most encapsulates 2023.
Rizz has become popular with younger generations and means someone’s ability to attract a romantic partner.
It can also be used as a verb, to ‘rizz’ someone means to attract and seduce a potential partner.
Rizz is thought to be a shortened version of the word “charisma”.
The Oxford University Press (OUP), who publishes the Oxford Dictionary, said the word peaked when Tom Holland was asked about his rizz in an interview in June.
The Marvel star responded with “I have no rizz whatsoever, I have limited rizz.”
He went onto to say he had struggled with flirting in the past but was now “locked up” with his partner Zendaya.
He added: “I’m happy and in love, so I’ve got no need for rizz.”
What were the other finalists?
Prompt – an instruction given to an AI program like a chatbot to generate an answer.
Swiftie – as you can probably guess this means someone who is a dedicated fan of Taylor Swift.
Situationship – a romantic or sexual relationship that is not considered formal, clear cut or established.
The OUP said rizz had barely been monitored as part of the English language until December 2022 when it began seeing moderate use.
It skyrocketed after the Holland interview before dipping back down.
Other words on the shortlist to win the word of the year included:
- Beige flag – a character trait that indicates a person is boring.
- De-influencing – the practice of discouraging people from buying a certain product
- Heat dome – a persistent high-pressure weather system which traps a mass of hot air.
- Parasocial – the relationship people form with celebrities or influencers when they feel connected and invested in their lives without knowing them personally.
The OUP’s rival, the Cambridge dictionary recently named hallucinate as their word of the year.
Rather than it being a new year Cambridge argued that hallucinate had gained new meaning in 2023.
They said the original definition of to seem to see, hear or feel something that is not real can now be applied to content generated by AI.
To view a hallucination in this context means to look at something generated by AI that is imitating the work of a human.
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