The Viral Term “Rizz” Beat out top Finalists “Prompt,” “Situationship,” and even “Swiftie.”
It’s official! Oxford University Press named ‘Rizz’ its Word of the Year for 2023.
The viral term received the Merriam-Webster stamp of approval in September, becoming one of 690 new words to get added to the renowned dictionary.
Rizz is believed to come from the middle of the word Charisma and can be used as a verb, as in “to rizz or chat someone up.” London AP Oxford University Press has declared that Gen Z has popularised the term to describe someone’s ability to attract or seduce another person.
How was Rizz popularised?
OUP’s decision comes after a year of rizz-related memes, which helped make it one of the most used slang terms, particularly amongst Gen Zers. The word was popularised by YouTuber Kai Cenat in 2021, according to Dictionary.com
Rizz has proliferated on TikTok, becoming a common part of the platform’s vernacular. The hashtag #rizz has more than 36 billion views.
The word has also made a breakthrough in celebrity culture. A clip went viral in June this year after the Spider-Man actor Tom Holland declared in an interview: “I have no rizz whatsoever. I have limited rizz.” He later explained he won over his girlfriend, Zendaya, by playing the “long game.”
What Words Lost to Rizz?
Just like last year, the OUP said it again involved the public’s help in choosing the word. A team of language experts selects Oxford’s Word of the Year 2023 and more than 32,000 voters. Experts from OUP selected eight words in total. They also allowed people on social media to vote for the Word of 2023.
Rizz beat words like “Swiftie,” defined as an “Enthusiastic fan of the singer Taylor Swift” who just got named Times Person of the Year, and “Situationship,” defined as “a romantic or sexual relationship that is not considered to be formal or established.”
Other Word of the Year runners-up included:
- Beige Flag
- De-Influencing
- Heat Dome
- Parasocial
- Prompt
What does this mean for the progression of language?
OUP has made claims about what this means for the future of the English Language. They claim “language experts chose rizz as an interesting example of how language can be formed, shaped, and shared within communities, before being picked up more widely in society.” They also mention, “It speaks to how younger generations now have spaces online or otherwise to own and define the language they use.”
Casper Grathwohl, president of Oxford Languages, said that the “word of the year” serves as a good test for people’s situations.
“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.”
Casper Grathwohl, News Release
He also noted last year’s winner, “Goblin Mode,” as a marker of 2022. This relates to how people used new phrases linking to how they felt during the Pandemic. “Goblin Mode'” is an unapologetically lazy and self-indulgent behavior. OUP also noted how almost 400,000 people voted last year, and 93% selected “Goblin Mode.”
This shows that rizz is the slogan for the end of the pandemic and the era of socialization in 2023.
Eloise Bowyer
December 7, 2023 at 8:34 pm
Such an interesting article! Hopefully swiftie will win next year! 😆