Word of the year: Oxford University Press chooses ‘Rizz’

Word of the year: Oxford’s Word of the Year 2023 is “rizz,” an internet slang term that refers to someone’s capacity to attract others with style, charm, or attractiveness. It was chosen after more than 32,000 votes and consultation with a team of linguists.

The Oxford University Press states that the word “rizz” comes from the centre of the word “charisma.”

The statement read, “Use of the word as recorded in our corpus has increased dramatically in 2023, with a peak in June 2023, when actor Tom Holland was asked about his “rizz” in a widely publicised interview and he replied, ‘I have no rizz whatsoever, I have limited rizz.'”

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As per Oxford, the verb “rizz” can also be employed as a noun, commonly found in the expression “rizz up,” signifying “to draw in, entice, or engage in conversation with someone.”

“Rizz” was one of a shortlist of eight terms that were selected to capture the spirit, attitude, or themes of 2023. According to the BBC, Oxford lexicographers made the ultimate decision after a public poll narrowed the list.

“Goblin mode,” another colloquial term for “unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy” attitude, was last year’s Oxford word of the year.

“Artificial intelligence” was unveiled as the Collins Dictionary’s word of 2023 in November.