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Oxford University Unveils Its 2023 Word Of The Year, With Term Popular Among Gen Z As The Winner
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Oxford University Unveils Its 2023 Word Of The Year, With Term Popular Among Gen Z As The Winner

Oxford University Unveils Its 2023 Word Of The Year, With Term Popular Among Gen Z As The Winner Oxford University Unveils Its 2023 Word Of The Year, With “Rizz” As The Winner“Rizz” Wins Oxford’s 2023 Word Of The Year While “Swiftie” And “De-influencing” Follow“Rizz”: Slang Term Made Popular By Tom Holland Named Oxford’s 2023 Word Of The Year“Rizz” Beats “Swiftie” And “Situationship”, Winning Oxford University’s 2023 Word Of The Year“No Rizz Whatsoever”: Oxford Names “Rizz” Word Of The Year After Tom Holland Made It Popular“Rizz”, Or The “Ability To Attract A Romantic Partner”, Wins 2023 Word Of The Year TitleSlang Term Popular Among Gen Z To Describe “Romantic Charm” Named Oxford’s Word Of The Year 2023Slang Term To Describe “Ability To Attract A Romantic Partner” Chosen As Word Of The Year 2023“Rizz,” Slang For “Romantic Appeal” Popularized By Tom Holland, Is Oxford’s 2023 Word Of The Year
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The Oxford University Press announced its 2023 word of the year on Monday (4 December), and it’s one that you may need to use if you’re confident your flirty moves have a history of success, and your confidence is a force to be reckoned with.

If you exhibit this type of behavior, you may exude “rizz”, the chosen word for 2023, by Oxford’s standards.

Highlights
  • Oxford's 2023 Word of the Year is 'rizz', popular among Gen Z.
  • 'Rizz' beat 'Swiftie' and six other words to win the title.
  • Public voting and language experts determined the winning word.
  • Tom Holland's interview in June boosted 'rizz' usage.

A team of experts and tens of thousands of public votes selected rizz as the word which most captures 2023, Sky News reported.

Mainly used by Gen Z to describe someone’s ability to attract a romantic partner, the slang term beat seven other contenders to win word of the year, the broadcaster reported.

“Rizz” has become the chosen word for 2023, by Oxford’s standards

Image credits: Sigmund/Unsplash

Image credits: Oxford Languages

In fact, rizz beat the word “Swiftie”, which is a word created by Taylor Swift’s devotees to describe those who partake in the singer’s fanbase.

We don’t have hard evidence to prove it, but the increased amount of the use of the word rizz may be rooted in Spider-Man.

Recorded uses of the popular word have increased greatly this year, peaking in June when actor Tom Holland was asked about his rizz

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Image credits: Oxford Languages

Image credits: Oxford Languages

According to Oxford University Press, recorded uses of the popular word have increased greatly this year, peaking in June when actor Tom Holland was asked about his rizz in a widely shared interview, as per the broadcaster.

In an interview with Buzzfeed, the 27-year-old actor notably proclaimed: “I have no rizz whatsoever, I have limited rizz.”

The language organization noted that rizz has some similarities to the term “game”, which has been used since the 1970s and is defined as “skill, prowess, or technique; the ability to impress; spec. the ability to attract others sexually by using one’s charm or charisma in an artful way,” The Independent reported.

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Rizz was reportedly on a shortlist of eight other prominent terms for the year in order to be selected as the Oxford Word of the Year.

Subsequently, language experts condensed them from the “22-billion-word corpus of language” at their disposal.

“I have no rizz whatsoever, I have limited rizz,” Tom Holland said

Image credits: tomholland2013

Image credits: BuzzFeed Celeb

Image credits: BuzzFeed Celeb

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According to the publication, from Monday, November 27 to Thursday, November 30, members of the general public were invited to cast their votes for different terms in a head-to-head battle.

Moreover, experts from Oxford University Press reportedly said the shortlist of eight words and phrases was chosen to most reflect the mood, ethos, or preoccupations of the last year.

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Swiftie followed rizz, while the remaining six popular words were the following:

De-influencing: The practice of discouraging people from buying particular products, or of encouraging people to reduce their consumption of material goods, esp. via social media.

Rizz was reportedly on a shortlist of eight other prominent terms for the year in order to be selected as the Oxford Word of the Year

Image credits: BuzzFeed Celeb

Beige flag: 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.

Heat dome: A persistent high-pressure weather system over a particular geographic area, which traps a mass of hot air below it.

Prompt: An instruction given to an artificial intelligence program, algorithm, etc., which determines or influences the content it generates.

“Situationship” was another strong contender on the list

 

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Image credits: Oxford Languages

Parasocial: Designating a relationship characterized 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.

Situationship: A romantic or sexual relationship that is not considered to be formal or established.

Rizz beat the word “Swiftie”, which is a word created by Taylor Swift’s devotees to describe those who partake in the singer’s fanbase

Image credits: Oxford Languages

Speaking about this year’s campaign and the winner of Oxford Word of the Year 2023, Casper Grathwohl, President of Oxford Languages, said: “It has been incredible to see the public once again enjoying being a part of the Word of the Year selection. 

“Seeing thousands of people debate and discuss language like this really highlights the power it has in helping us to understand who we are, and process what’s happening to the world around us.”

“Prompt” gained popularity as a result of the invention of AI tools

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Image credits: Oxford Languages

“Given that last year ‘goblin mode’ resonated with so many of us following the pandemic, it’s interesting to see a contrasting word like rizz come to the forefront, perhaps speaking 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.

“Rizz is a term that has boomed on social media and speaks to how language that enjoys intense popularity and currency within particular social communities—and even in some cases lose their popularity and become passé—can bleed into the mainstream.

“This is a story as old as language itself, but stories of linguistic evolution and expansion that used to take years can now take weeks or months.”

Many readers became familiar with the word thanks to their teens

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Andréa Oldereide

Andréa Oldereide

Writer, BoredPanda staff

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I’m a journalist who works as Bored Panda’s News Team's Senior Writer. The news team produces stories focused on pop culture. Whenever I get the opportunity and the time, I investigate and produce my own exclusive stories, where I get to explore a wider range of topics. Some examples include: “Doberman Tobias the viral medical service dog” and “The lawyer who brought rare uterine cancer that affects 9/11 victims to light”. You've got a tip? email me: andrea.o@boredpanda.com

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Andréa Oldereide

Andréa Oldereide

Writer, BoredPanda staff

I’m a journalist who works as Bored Panda’s News Team's Senior Writer. The news team produces stories focused on pop culture. Whenever I get the opportunity and the time, I investigate and produce my own exclusive stories, where I get to explore a wider range of topics. Some examples include: “Doberman Tobias the viral medical service dog” and “The lawyer who brought rare uterine cancer that affects 9/11 victims to light”. You've got a tip? email me: andrea.o@boredpanda.com

Karina Babenok

Karina Babenok

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As a visual editor in the News team, I look for the most interesting pictures and comments to make each post interesting and informative through images, so that you aren't reading only blocks of text. I joined Bored Panda not that long ago, but in this short amount of time I have covered a wide range of topics: from true crime to Taylor Swift memes (my search history is very questionable because of that).In my freetime, I enjoy spending time at the gym, gaming, binging Great British Bake Off and adding yet another tattoo artist that I would love to get a tattoo from to my pinterest board.

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Karina Babenok

Karina Babenok

Author, BoredPanda staff

As a visual editor in the News team, I look for the most interesting pictures and comments to make each post interesting and informative through images, so that you aren't reading only blocks of text. I joined Bored Panda not that long ago, but in this short amount of time I have covered a wide range of topics: from true crime to Taylor Swift memes (my search history is very questionable because of that).In my freetime, I enjoy spending time at the gym, gaming, binging Great British Bake Off and adding yet another tattoo artist that I would love to get a tattoo from to my pinterest board.

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Mamza Paulse
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is so funny I use all of those words. I love how Oxford dictionary doesn’t gatekeeper language. The point of a dictionary is to have definitions of words people use.

cugel.
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So popular that it's the first time I've ever heard it.

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Mamza Paulse
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is so funny I use all of those words. I love how Oxford dictionary doesn’t gatekeeper language. The point of a dictionary is to have definitions of words people use.

cugel.
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So popular that it's the first time I've ever heard it.

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