‘Rizz’ has been named word of the year 2023 by Oxford University Press.<\/p>\n
Oxford defines the new term, used mainly by Generation Z, as “style, charm, or attractiveness; the ability to attract a romantic or sexual partner”.<\/p>\n
Etymologically, the term is believed to be a shortened form of the word ‘charisma’.<\/p>\n
‘Rizz’ can also be used as a verb, in phrases such as ‘to rizz up’, which means ‘to attract, seduce, or chat up (a person)’.<\/p>\n
The selection of the Oxford Word of the Year was made after a long process of public voting through social media.<\/p>\n
Oxford said its experts initially shortlisted eight words and phrases, all chosen to “reflect the mood, ethos, or preoccupations of the year, and which have potential to provide a snapshot of social history through language.” <\/p>\n
The other competing words were swiftie, de-influencing, beige flag, heat dome, prompt, parasocial and situationship.<\/p>\n
Swiftie is the word used to describe an enthusiastic fan of pop music superstar Taylor Swift.<\/p>\n
Prompt is an instruction given to an artificial intelligence program, algorithm, etc., which determines or influences the content it generates.<\/p>\n
The list was narrowed down to four words based on voting by more than 30,000 participants over a four-day voting period.<\/p>\n
From the final four, Oxford lexicographers selected the winning term.<\/p>\n
The slang term is being widely used online, with billions of views of the hashtag “rizz” recorded on TikTok.<\/p>\n
Popular English actor Tom Holland was asked about the secret to his ‘rizz’ in a widely shared Buzzfeed interview in June.<\/p>\n
The Spider-Man super hero replied: “I have no rizz whatsoever. I have limited rizz.”<\/p>\n
According to Casper Grathwohl, president at Oxford Languages, “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.”<\/p>\n
In the past, words such as ‘selfie’, ‘vax’, and ‘goblin mode’ were chosen as Oxford word of the year. <\/p>\n