All the Words of the Year 2023, from ‘rizz’ to ‘authentic’

As the year wraps up, dictionaries have declared their Words of the Year, offering a glimpse into the zeitgeist of 2023. The selected words indicate that this was a year of diversity, one where one of the biggest technological terms of the century apparently stood in stark contrast with the human need for authenticity.

Irrespective of the nature and the meanings of the selected words, what is clear is that language remains a constantly evolving entity that will continue to breathe and live in an ever-changing world whose societal borders are increasingly being drawn by technology.

[Hero and Featured Image Credit: Glen Carrie/Unsplash]

Word of the year 2023 as selected by various dictionaries

One ubiquitous tech-based term dominates

While almost all famous lexicons picked a different word of the year, there was one that triumphed over all — artificial intelligence.

Both Collins and Cambridge dictionaries picked artificial intelligence-based words as their Word of the Year.

While Collins went for the abbreviated “AI,” Cambridge chose “hallucinate” with its new AI-related meaning. In the latter case, “hallucinate” reflects our growing fascination and anxiety surrounding AI’s ability to create convincing, yet fake, realities.

In this light, Merriam-Webster took a road that led to the other end of the spectrum by picking “authentic.” The word reflected the growing urgency of society to stick to genuineness, as deepfakes and curated online personas gained prominence.

“A high-volume lookup most years, authentic saw a substantial increase in 2023, driven by stories and conversations about AI, celebrity culture, identity, and social media,” the dictionary’s announcement said, adding: “Although clearly a desirable quality, authentic is hard to define and subject to debate — two reasons it sends many people to the dictionary.”

In fact, Merriam-Webster also listed 13 other words that also threw light on the news-making events of 2023. These included the terms “coronation,” “X,” and “covenant,” the last of which signified a commitment or bond, spiked after a school shooting, highlighting our longing for connection and security.

But Oxford picked a word less serious

Yet standing on a completely different platform from the rest was Oxford University Press (OUP), the publisher of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), which picked the lighthearted word “rizz” as the word of the year.

“Rizz” is a slang which, according to OUP, can be defined as style, charm, or attractiveness, and the ability to attract a romantic or sexual partner. The word is generally used in the context of online dating.

Interestingly, “rizz” was also one of the 13 words listed by Merriam-Webster, which only goes on to prove the growing influence of Gen Z and their internet-driven language.

While “rizz” was the top choice, OUP had shortlisted seven other words for its Word of the Year title. These include “situationship,” “beige flag,” “de-influencing,” “parasocial,” “heat dome,” and “prompt”. While the last two are tech-terms, the others are connected to interpersonal dynamics. The seventh word shortlisted was “Swiftie,” which is the term used for the millions of dedicated fans of music icon Taylor Swift, who was recently crowned as the most-streamed artist of the year by Spotify.