Rizz Is The Word Of The Year – But What Is It?

Image via Instagram, @tomholland2013

Oxford have announced their word of the year – and it’s a flirty one!

The University chooses the word to “reflect the ethos, mood or preoccupations” of the year gone, while also having “potential as a term of lasting cultural significance.”

So, what’s the word of 2023? Rizz, of course!

 

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For those of you who don’t know, ‘rizz’ is defined by the Oxford University Press as “a colloquial word” meaning “style, charm, or attractiveness; the ability to attract a romantic or sexual partner.”

It’s a super Gen Z term, which is always fun, and it was popularised by YouTuber and Twitch Streamer Kai Cenat, who posts ‘rizz tips’ online.

On the No Jumper podcast, Kai explained how he would use rizz in a sentence.

 

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He set the scene of a woman going from being not interested in him to finding him charming, in which case he would say, “Oh yeah, I rizzed her up. I got mad rizz.”

The phrase comes from the word ‘charisma’, and was born out of internet and gaming culture, according to the New York Times.

Rizz began to move more into the mainstream when Tom Holland boosted its popularity after using it in an interview with Buzzfeed.

The Spiderman actor jokingly quipped, “I have no rizz whatsoever. I have limited rizz.”

 

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Casper Grathwohl, the director of languages at Oxford, explained why people love the word rizz so much.

“One of the reasons it’s moving from being a niche social media phrase into the mainstream is, it’s just fun to say,” he said. “When it comes off your tongue, there’s a little bit of joy that comes with it.”

And you know what – he’s dead right. The word rizz does bring us joy!

• Oxford word of the year
• Rizz