[News Terms] Oxford's Word of the Year: 'Lit'

The Oxford University Press, which publishes the Oxford English Dictionary in the UK, announced on the 4th (local time) that it has selected 'Rizz' as the Word of the Year. 'Rizz' refers to the charm, ability, style, or appeal that can induce romantic or sexual attraction to the opposite sex. It is a newly coined term widely used among Generation Z in English-speaking countries. It is known to have been first used in a live internet broadcast in 2021 by Kai Cenat, a popular streamer on the video streaming platform Twitch.

Zendaya and Tom Holland, who co-starred in the movie 'Spider-Man: No Way Home.'
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Casper Grathwohl, the head of the Oxford Dictionary, said, "This year's Word of the Year, Rizz, proves that words and phrases derived from internet culture are increasingly becoming part of everyday language," adding, "It also reflects the atmosphere of this year, where people have regained confidence in who they are after going through difficult times in recent years." Oxford explained that mentions of Rizz on social networking services (SNS) have surged about 15 times compared to last year.

Rizz is known to be an abbreviation created by taking the middle syllable of the English word 'Charisma.' According to the charisma origin theory, Rizz mainly refers to male charm rather than female. It is expressed in phrases such as 'have rizz' meaning 'to have a certain charm,' and 'rizz up' meaning 'to seduce the opposite sex.'

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported in August that as new words like Rizz spread, parents and teachers are having difficulty communicating with young people. It also shared an interview with a local high school teacher who said, "A student asked me at school if I had 'rizz,' and I was at a loss for words."

BBC in the UK reported that Rizz is a new version of 'game,' used when someone captivates others using their charm or skills, and that videos tagged with the Rizz hashtag (#Rizz) on TikTok have been viewed billions of times.

The New York Times reported in June that actor Tom Holland (27), famous for Spider-Man, explained in an interview with an internet media outlet how he met his girlfriend, actress Zendaya, saying, "I have no rizz at all. It took a long process before I could meet Zendaya," noting that the use of this word has exploded.

Along with Rizz, the final candidates for 'Word of the Year' included 'Swiftie,' meaning an ardent fan of American pop star Taylor Swift; 'situationship,' referring to an unofficial romantic or sexual relationship; and 'prompt,' meaning instructions given to artificial intelligence programs.

Other candidate words included 'beige flag,' referring to a boring or uninteresting romantic or potential romantic partner; 'de-influencing,' the act of encouraging reduced or restrained consumption of certain products; 'heat dome,' a phenomenon where a persistent high-pressure system traps hot air in a specific area causing heatwaves; and 'parasocial,' describing a relationship where one side forms a one-sided sense of closeness toward the other, like between celebrities and fans.