The world’s second-oldest academic press and the publisher of the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford University Press has named ‘rizz’ as Oxford’s 2023 word of the year.
According to Oxford, the word “Rizz” was first recorded in 2022, but it went viral in June, after the American actor Tom Holland, mentioned it in an interview.
During the interview with Buzzfeed, Tom said: “I have no rizz whatsoever. I have limited rizz.”
The word has since been used massively online, with billions of views of the hashtag “rizz” on TikTok.
It was one of eight words on a shortlist, all chosen to reflect the mood, ethos or preoccupations of 2023 which was narrowed down in a public vote, before Oxford lexicographers made the final decision.
According to Oxford University Press [OUP], ‘rizz’ is defined as style, charm, attractiveness, and the ability to attract a romantic or sexual partner.
It can also be used as a verb, in sayings such as “to rizz up”, which means to attract, seduce, or chat someone up.