What does rizz mean? Why it’s been named Oxford word of the year

Each year, the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) decides on a word of the year that reflects “the ethos, mood, or preoccupations of the past twelve months”.

Today (Monday 4 December), it has confirmed that “rizz” is its 2023 word of the year.

The word was one of eight on a shortlist.

Tens of thousands of people voted on the word, before lexicographers made the final decision.

Other contenders included “Swiftie” – the term for a Taylor Swift fan – and “beige flag”.

What does “rizz” mean?

According to Oxford University Press (OUP), publisher of the OED, “rizz” is defined as style, charm or attractiveness, and the ability to attract a romantic or sexual partner.

It’s thought to be an abbreviated form of the word “charisma”.

The word, which is largely used among Generation Z, has attracted billions of views of the hashtag “rizz” on TikTok, where its usage is huge.

The popularity of the word continued to grow throughout the year, with a spike following a Buzzfeed interview with actor Tom Holland, who was asked what the secret was to his rizz.

“I have no rizz whatsoever,” he replied. “I have limited rizz,” before explaining he won over his girlfriend Zendaya by playing the “long game”.

Oxford’s word of the year in 2022 was “goblin mode”, another slang term for “unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy” behaviour.

Casper Grathwohl, president at Oxford Languages, said that while “goblin mode” had resonated with many people after the pandemic, “it’s interesting to see a contrasting word like rizz come to the forefront”.

He said the word possibly spoke to “a prevailing mood of 2023, where more of us are opening ourselves up after a challenging few years and finding confidence in who we are”.

Mr Grathwohl added that the rise of words and phrases that derive from internet culture, such as rizz, “are increasingly becoming part of day-to-day vernacular”.

What other words made the Oxford word of the year shortlist?

Other shortlisted words by OUP included:

• Beige flag (n.): a character trait that indicates that a partner or potential partner is boring or lacks originality; (also) a trait or habit, esp. of a partner or potential partner, viewed as extremely characteristic, but not distinctly good or bad [draft definition]
• Situationship (n.): a romantic or sexual relationship that is not considered to be formal or established.
• Parasocial (adj.): designating a relationship characterised by the one-sided, unreciprocated sense of intimacy felt by a viewer, fan, or follower for a well-known or prominent figure (typically a media celebrity), in which the follower or fan comes to feel (falsely) that they know the celebrity as a friend.
• Heat dome (n.): a persistent high-pressure weather system over a particular geographic area, which traps a mass of hot air below it [draft definition]
• Swiftie (n.): an enthusiastic fan of the singer Taylor Swift [draft definition]
• Prompt (n.): an instruction given to an artificial intelligence program, algorithm, etc., which determines or influences the content it generates [draft definition]
• De-influencing (n.): the practice of discouraging people from buying particular products, or of encouraging people to reduce their consumption of material goods, esp. via social media [draft definition]