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Rizz is the Oxford University Press Word of the Year

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Are you good at chatting up or flirting with potential partners? If so, you may already have Rizz, even if you didn’t know it.  

Oxford University Press (OUP) has named “Rizz” as its Word of the Year for 2023. Oxford’s official definition of rizz is to have attractiveness, style or charm or in flirtation that allows one to easily attract a romantic partner. It can also be used as a verb, such as to “rizz up” a person, which means to attract or chat them up. 

Senior Lecturer in Media and Communications and English Linguistics at the University of Winchester, Justine Mortimer, said: “Technology is often a driver for language change, so things that represent new technology or are brought in referring to new technology are often incorporated into the language we use, which is changing all the time. 

“TikTok and social media are incredibly creative places and that what OUP look for when they are looking for their Word of the Year, the creativity of language.” 

The term first found fame through gaming and internet culture as Youtuber and Twitch streamer Kai Cenat is widely credited with having popularised the word. Usage of rizz continued to grow throughout the year when actor Tom Holland was asked by Buzzfeed about the secrets to his rizz. Holland said: “I have no rizz whatsoever. I have limited rizz, my brother Paddy has ultimate rizz.” 

Since then, rizz has continued to skyrocket with the word being used massively online, with over 35 billion views of the hashtag rizz on TikTok.  

Rizz is a form of phonetic shortening or clipping of “charisma,” which makes rizz even more of an unusual word as most abbreviated versions of words come from the beginning or end of most words. For example, “rhino” comes from the start of “rhinoceros” or “hood” coming from the end of “neighborhood.”  

Though some shortened phrases do come from the middle like “flu” from “influenza,” however this is less common and makes the word more unique, according to Oxford. 

Rizz was one of eight words on a shortlist, all chosen to reflect on the mood, ethos, and character of this year. Around 30,000 people voted to narrow down the lists before the experts at Oxford crowned rizz as the overall winner.  

The other finalists were: 

  • Prompt: the instruction given to an artificial intelligence program, which determines or influences the content that is created. 
  • Situationship: a romantic relationship that is not considered to be formal or established. 
  • Swiftie: the name given to an avid fan of the singer Taylor Swift 

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