A common buzzword among the younger generation mostly used as a slag is now recognized by the Oxford University Press (OUP). ‘Rizz’, considered to be derived from the word ‘charisma’, is OUP’s Word of the Year 2023. The word essentially means the ability to attract a romantic partner.
Rizz beat out words like “Swiftie” (an enthusiastic fan of Taylor Swift), or “prompt” (an instruction given to an artificial intelligence program), all chosen to reflect the general mood of 2023, in the annual decision by lexicographers at the publisher of the Oxford English Dictionary.
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Here’s a lookback at the OUP Word of the Year in the last ten years:
2022: Goblin Mode– ‘a type of behaviour which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations.’
2021: Vax– short form of ‘vaccination’, ultimately deriving from the word ‘vacca’, Latin for cow.
2020: No single word was chosen in an unprecedented year.
2019: Climate Emergency
2018: Toxic
2017: Youthquake– ‘a significant cultural, political, or social change arising from the actions or influence of young people’.
2016: Post-truth– ‘relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief’.
2015: ‘Face with Tears of Joy’ emoji– For the first time ever, the Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year is a pictograph.
2014: Vape– the act of using an e-cigarette.
2013: Selfie