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The publisher of the famous Oxford English Dictionary has designated the slang term “rizz” as the word of the year 2023, synonymous with charm or success in the art of seduction, which appeared on social networks and popularized in particular by the actor Tom Holland.
Probably derived, in a shortened version, from the word charisma, “rizz” means “style, charm, seduction, ability to attract a romantic or sexual partner“, according to the Oxford University Press, which revealed its word of the year on Monday.
The term, now also used in French, appeared on social networks in 2022, popularized in particular by the American streamer Kai Cenat with millions of subscribers on the YouTube and Twitch platforms.
Its use has exploded since last June, after 27-year-old actor Tom Holland, star of Spider-Man, used it in an interview with the Buzzfeed site. “I don’t have any rice at all“, he asserted.
Dating sites and applications have also taken it up, in an attempt to attract “Gen Z” users, part of the population born between 1997 and 2010, details Oxford University Press in a press release.
The word “rizz” was chosen “as an interesting example of how language is created, formed and shared within certain communities, before spreading more widely“, explains the institution.
“He discusses how younger generations create spaces, both online and in face-to-face exchanges, where they own and define the language they use.“, he adds.
To designate its word of the year, the institution first established a list of eight finalist words, including “Swiftie” (fan of American singer Taylor Swift) or “prompt” (term designating an instruction given to a artificial intelligence program).
The public was then called to vote, before the experts decided among the four words that came at the top of this giant poll.
Last year, only the public vote counted and the word chosen was “goblin mode”, a term difficult to translate into French, describing an attitude or behavior of rejection of social expectations.
In 2021, Oxford chose the word “vax”, after having in 2020, an exceptional year marked in particular by the Covid-19 pandemic, decided to opt for several words including “coronavirus”, “confinement” and “black lives matter “. In 2019, he selected “climate emergency”.
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