The Word of the Year Is Rizz

By Emma Chance | News | December 5, 2023 |

By Emma Chance | News | December 5, 2023 |

“Rizz,” or the thing that Tom Holland claims he doesn’t have, is the Oxford English Dictionary’s word of the year. The other finalists were “Swiftie,” much to the chagrin of most Pajiba readers, I’m sure, “situationship,” or, just another word for “relationship” in my case, and “de-influencing,” the phenomenon of content creators formerly known as influencers changing their content to be less bright and shiny, like morning routine videos where they don’t “wake up” with a full face of makeup already on.

The word of the year competition is meant to honor “recently created words or expressions that symbolize a period of time” and have “potential as a term of lasting cultural significance or providing a snapshot of social history.”

It feels appropriate that a slang word for charisma won the contest for word of the year, because isn’t that kind of the point of rizz? If you have it, you’ll probably win contests too. The OED officially defines it this way:

“Rizz is a colloquial word, defined as style, charm, or attractiveness; the ability to attract a romantic or sexual partner.”

The word’s first known usage was by influencer Kai Cenat, 21, on Twitch, who talked about hitting on women while livestreaming himself playing video games (the antithesis of rizz in my opinion.) “Rizz started with me and a few of my friends from back home,” said Cenat.

But he claims that rizz isn’t short for charisma. “Rizz meant ‘game.’ People say it’s short for charisma. But like, not to me.” Deinfluencing indeed.

Rizz is an interesting choice because it’s basically the opposite of last year’s word, “goblin mode,” defined as “a type of behavior that is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations.”

Or, maybe that kind of personality is exactly the essence of rizz.