Surprise choice for "Word of the Year"
<p>The Oxford University Press has named its word of the year, and the results are not what you expect. </p>
<p>From "Swiftie" (an evid Taylor Swift fan), "situationship" (an informal romantic or sexual relationship) and "prompt" (an instruction given to an AI program), it's clear that this year's line up was heavily influenced by Gen Z. </p>
<p>This year's winner truly speaks volumes about the impact of the younger generation, after results from a public vote reveal that "Rizz" is the word of the year. </p>
<p>Rizz is believed to come from the middle of the word charisma, and it is often used to describe someone's ability to attract or seduce someone else. </p>
<p>The publishers of the Oxford English Dictionary also said that it can be used as a verb as in to "rizz up" which means to attract or chat someone up. </p>
<p>"It speaks to how younger generations create spaces — online or in person — where they own and define the language they use," the publisher said.</p>
<p>"From activism to dating and wider culture, as Gen Z comes to have more impact on society, differences in perspectives and lifestyle play out in language, too."</p>
<p>In a news release, Oxford Languages President Casper Grathwohl said: "Rizz is a term that has boomed on social media, and speaks to how language that enjoys intense popularity and currency within particular social communities — and even in some cases lose their popularity and become passé — can bleed into the mainstream."</p>
<p>One of the first instances of a celebrity using it, was when earlier this year <em>Spiderman</em> star Tom Holland said that he had "no rizz whatsoever", during an interview with <em>BuzzFeed</em>. </p>
<p>"I have limited rizz," he said at the time, joking about his relationship with co-star Zendaya. </p>
<p>Rizz was one of eight words that made it to the shortlist, which included a few other words like: “beige flag”, “parasocial”, “heat dome” and “de-influencing”. </p>
<p>Rizz is heavily used online with the hashtag racking up billions of views on TikTok.</p>
<p><em>Image: Getty</em></p>
<p> </p>
