The Oxford English Dictionary chose “rizz” as the word of the year for 2023. The word received more than 32,000 votes from the public, and the choice was announced this Monday (4).
The term in English is derived from the word “charisma” in the same language and refers to a person’s ability to attract a romantic partner through “style, charm or attractiveness”, explains dictionary publisher Oxford University Press (OUP) in its announcement of today.
The editor of the Oxford English Dictionary added that the word can also be used as a verb, in the phrase “rizz up”, which means to attract or talk to a person.
The popularity of “rizz” soared earlier this year, after the actor currently playing Spider-Man in theaters, Tom Holland, was asked by the website “Buzzfeed” what the secret to his “rizz” was.
At the time, the actor’s response was: “I don’t have any rizz. I have limited rizz.”
Although “word of the year” candidates do not have to be new words, they must have a meaning for the year in question.
Oxford University Press said its 2023 list was chosen to “reflect the mood, spirit or concerns of the year”.
Final words
OUP experts initially selected eight finalist words, which were placed in competing pairs for the public to vote on.
Of the resulting four finalists, the experts did one last analysis before choosing “rizz” as the winner. The other finalists were:
- “prompt”, the instruction given to an artificial intelligence program that influences the content it creates;
- “situationship”, which means a romantic partnership that is not considered formal or established; It is
- “Swiftie” – name given to a fan of singer Taylor Swift.
In 2022, the word of the year chosen by the Oxford English Dictionary was “goblin mode”, a colloquial term for behavior that is unapologetically lazy, in a way that rejects social norms.
See also: Who is Jesus for Father Julio Lancelotti?
*Translated and published by Pedro Jordão, from CNN in Sao Paulo
Source: CNN Brasil

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