Do you have ‘rizz?’ Oxford picks its word of the year from Gen Z slang

Many of us got our groove back in 2023. After two long years of pandemic-induced isolation and disruption, we left the house. We went on dates. And — according to Oxford’s Word of the Year — we got rizz.

“Rizz” is a slang term that refers to someone’s “ability to attract a romantic or sexual partner,” according to Oxford Languages, an arm of Oxford University Press, which picks the Word of the Year. It was selected by experts and a popular vote from a list of eight terms chosen to reflect humanity’s array of moods, interests and concerns this year — beating words like “Swiftie,” “beige flag” and “situationship” for the top slot (definitions below).

The victory for“rizz”— which Oxford said is believed to be short for “charisma” — could be because a word that encompasses swagger, game and style reflects people’s more “positive” outlook in 2023, Casper Grathwohl, president of Oxford Languages, said in a phone interview. “That pandemic exhaustion is starting to give way to all the feelings that come after that,” he said.

While “rizz” is a new word, the feelings it captures — those of attraction — are as old as time: “The pursuit of ‘rizz’ is an eternal one,” Grathwohl said.

Swiftie: An enthusiastic fan of the singer Taylor Swift.

Beige flag: A character trait that indicates that a partner or potential partner is boring or lacks originality.

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