Have you heard of the 2023 Oxford Word of the Year? Me neither
In case I needed a reminder that I’m slowly drifting into the Sea of Cluelessness, I discovered that the 2023 Oxford Word of the Year is one I’ve never heard of. In fact, I’ve never seen it in print, in signage, in emails, or letters — which goes to show how far removed I am from all that is cool, chill, def, dope.
This needles me, as I make my living with words. Putting them together. Massaging them. Forcing them to sing and cry and bellow on the page. I like to think I keep up with the evolving use of language, in whatever form it takes, but apparently, I’m not doing a very good job of this. I blame it on the widening generation gap.
But back to the anointed Word of the Year, as voted by tens of thousands of word lovers and then selected last week by the Oxford University Press. It’s “rizz.” See what I mean? Unless you’re of a certain generation, you’re likely scratching your head.
And that’s OK. I’m here to provide context.
Rizz — gotta like that sibilant sound at the end — is “a colloquial word, defined as style, charm, or attractiveness; the ability to attract a romantic or sexual partner,” states the press release announcing the momentous choice. It’s a shortened version of “charisma,” at least the middle part of the word, just as fridge stands for refrigerator and flu for influenza.
A person can have rizz and she can also rizz up someone. In other words, you can chat up a person to make yourself more attractive. For example, the late, great Elizabeth Taylor, seven times married, would likely have qualified as a woman with rizz. Of course, using her as an example totally dates me.
GAINED TRACTION ON SOCIAL MEDIA, GAMING SITES
At any rate, the word rizz is associated with a younger crowd, namely teenagers, and it’s believed to have gained traction in the gaming and internet worlds. It skyrocketed in popularity when a YouTube and Twitch streamer began to use it and the hashtag received billions of views on TikTok.
Rizz beat out a shortlist of seven other words, and it’s humbling for me to admit that I don’t know some of those contestants. I do know “Swiftie,” the moniker for a Taylor Swift fan, and “prompt” and “heat dome.” I can guess at “de-influencing,” “parasocial” and “situationship.” But what the heck is a beige flag?
The OUP, headquartered at the venerable University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, says the choice of “rizz” for 2023 proves “words and phrases that evolve from internet culture are increasingly becoming part of day-to-day vernacular and will continue to shape language trends in the future.” I can’t argue with that.
Last year, when the university press incorporated the popular vote into the selection process for the first time, “goblin mode” won. I had actually heard the term before, and gave myself a pat on the back. It means behavior that is unapologetically self-indulgent and hedonistic, regardless of societal rules. Claiming your inner goblin is the way to go in these postpandemic times, and younger generations know this. They’re intent on their needs, and are willing to create new rules to get what they want. (Consider the work-from-home and hybrid work trends.)
Rizz, on the other hand, stumped me — but not just me. In a small unscientific survey of friends, not a single one knew the term. One woman, however, told me she was not the least bit surprised by Oxford’s selection. Her generation (and mine) must cede power to those coming after us. She realized this at a recent wedding reception, when she recognized only three or four of the songs played by the DJ.
Like my friend, I’ve remained stuck in one place while pop culture has raced past me. Now I have to play catch-up. I’ll have to cram or at least pull a few all-nighters, so that at the next party I can rizz up the poor victim seated to the right of me.