Rizz Explained

Rizz is an internet slang word defined as "style, charm, or attractiveness; the ability to attract a romantic or sexual partner"; it originated as an abbreviation of the word charisma.[1] The phrase was made popular outside the African American community by American YouTuber and Twitch streamer Kai Cenat in mid-2021, though it was used colloquially long before. It subsequently garnered virality on the social media application TikTok.[2] Oxford University Press named it its word of the year for 2023.[3]

Etymology

The popularity of the word in mid-2021 is attributed to Kai Cenat. Streaming on Twitch, Cenat would share to people how to have "rizz" and developed other phrases, such as "W rizz" and "L rizz", to describe a person's "winning" or "losing" abilities at attracting or chatting up a person/potential love interest.[4]

Rizz is a colloquial noun, used when describing possession of charisma. As a verb, rizz can be used to describe using charisma to attract someone, as to "rizz up" a person. It is believed that the middle syllable of the word charisma was shortened to create the word rizz. Oxford University Press described this formation pattern for a word as "unusual". However, this formation pattern can be seen in the shortening of words such as refrigerator (fridge), and influenza (flu).

The word is mainly used by Generation Z (people born in the late 1990s to late 2000s),[5] though it has attracted significant use from Generation Alpha (people born in the early 2010s to early to mid-2020s) as well.[6] Further development of the word "rizz" includes "Rizzler" or "Rizz God,"[7] meaning highly charismatic, and "Unspoken Rizz", meaning a person's ability to attract a person without speaking.[8] The term may also be used to modify names, such as "Walt Rizzney" or "Rizzard of Oz" as word plays on Walt Disney and The Wizard of Oz respectively.

In the media

Cenat stated in a June 2022 interview on the No Jumper podcast that after the word went viral on TikTok he stopped using it himself, stating that the viral use on TikTok "butchered" the word.

The term went further viral in June 2023, after actor Tom Holland explained in an interview with BuzzFeed that he possessed "limited rizz" and it was by playing the "long game" that helped to win over his girlfriend, actress Zendaya. From this, a number of memes were created.[9]

Rizz was named the Oxford English Dictionary Word of the Year for 2023.[10] [11] [12] [13]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Heaton . Benedict . 2023-12-04 . Rizz crowned Oxford Word of the Year 2023 . 2023-12-04 . Oxford University Press . 2023-12-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231204130913/https://corp.oup.com/news/rizz-crowned-oxford-word-of-the-year-2023/ . live .
  2. Web site: Rizz – What does rizz mean? . 2023-12-04 . slang.net . 2023-07-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230702175909/https://slang.net/meaning/rizz . live .
  3. News: 2023-12-04 . Rizz named word of the year 2023 by Oxford University Press . en-GB . BBC News . 2023-12-04 . 2023-12-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231204001220/https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-67602699 . live .
  4. Web site: 2023-12-04 . What does rizz mean, and do you have it? The Gen Z term storming TikTok . 2023-12-04 . Yahoo Sports . en-CA . 2023-12-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231204152952/https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/does-rizz-mean-gen-z-103149170.html . live .
  5. Web site: Word of the year 2023 is 'rizz' after Tom Holland interview fuelled rise in use – but what does the Oxford pick mean? . 2023-12-04 . Sky News . en . 2023-12-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231204083556/https://news.sky.com/story/oxford-names-rizz-as-word-of-the-year-after-tom-holland-interview-fuelled-rise-in-use-but-what-does-it-mean-13022485 . live .
  6. Web site: Kircher . Madison Malone . 2023-11-08 . Gen Alpha Is Here. Can You Understand Their Slang? . 2024-01-01 . The New York Times . en-US . 2023-12-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231221112338/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/08/style/gen-alpha-slang.html . live .
  7. Web site: Press-Reynolds . Kieran . How the slang term 'rizz' became an internet obsession that stumped boomers (and even zoomers) . Business Insider . 27 January 2023 . 27 January 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230127231822/https://www.businessinsider.com/internet-slang-tiktok-word-rizz-rizzler-rizzgod-zoomers-rizzardofoz-twitter-2023-1 . live .
  8. Web site: Hall . Vanessa . 2023-04-04 . All About 'Rizz' and What It Actually Means . 2023-12-04 . Parade . en . 2023-12-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231204152953/https://parade.com/living/rizz-meaning . live .
  9. News: Khomami . Nadia . 2023-12-04 . Got rizz? Tom Holland memes propel popularity of 2023 word of the year . en-GB . The Guardian . 2023-12-04 . 0261-3077 . 2023-12-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231204143329/https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/dec/04/got-rizz-tom-holland-memes-propel-popularity-of-2023-word-of-the-year . live.
  10. Web site: 2023-12-05 . Do you have 'rizz', the Oxford Word of the Year? - InDaily . 2024-07-03 . www.indaily.com.au . en.
  11. News: 2023-12-04 . 'Rizz' named Oxford Dictionary's word of the year . 2024-07-03 . ABC News . en-AU.
  12. Web site: Heaton . Benedict . 2023-12-04 . Rizz crowned Oxford Word of the Year 2023 . 2024-07-03 . Oxford University Press.
  13. News: 2023-12-04 . Rizz named word of the year 2023 by Oxford University Press . 2024-07-03 . en-GB.

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