From Ryan Gosling’s highly-anticipated power ballad “I’m Just Ken” to Taylor Swift’s new guy on the Chiefs, 2023 has been a fabulous year for media, with extraordinary new movies and music. It’s simply too hard of a task to describe the awesome year in just a couple of words.
The word impossible wasn’t in the dictionary for these two… well, dictionaries.
Merriam-Webster and Oxford Dictionaries have completed the task of creating the word of the year rather perfectly. Using only two words, they’ve each impressed a lot of people with their genuine choices to perfectly sum up the culture of 2023. They didn’t do it alone though; they had their audience helping them along the way by voting on the words that would tell us how to describe the past year.
This tradition serves as a reminder that words are not just about dictionaries; they are shaped by the conversations and experiences of people in the real world. So, these two-word wonders aren’t just about language; they’re a shared reflection of how we spent 2023.
Merriam-Webster, going for an intellectual approach, said “authentic,” meaning real, should be the Word of the Year. They had a variety of reasons for choosing this word, looking directly at the music industry. Many musical artists found their authentic selves and voices like Taylor Swift’s continuous release of her Taylor’s Version (TV) albums such as “1989”. However, it’s not just about music; it’s about artists being true to themselves in a tough industry.
Webster also talks about the rise of smart computer programs, like ChatGPT, giving you accurate and real information. So, their pick of “authentic” covers a lot and reflects the various things that made 2023 stand out. Looking at the bigger picture, it’s like a snapshot of how people and technology kept it real and reliable in an ever-changing world.
Oxford Dictionary joined the social media wave by picking trendy word “rizz,” which means flirting smoothly. This choice for word of the year didn’t stick to traditional dictionaries, but that didn’t stop it becoming popular online. The popularity of this word was sparked by a Billboard interview in June of 2023 when actor Tom Holland was asked, “What’s the secret to your rizz?” Holland’s funny response, saying he had none, added an extra layer of fun and made the word even more popular. This mix of words, celebrity humor and online talk shows how language evolves in our cultural moments.
In summing up 2023, Merriam-Webster’s “authentic” mirrors a shift towards sincerity in the arts. “Authentic” isn’t just a trendy word—it’s a sign of a lasting shift, a symbol of creative freedom and true self-expression; it’s a guide to a future where art is honest and real. Oxford Dictionary’s pick of “rizz” brings a fun twist to our language. As the Word of the Year, “rizz” isn’t just about smooth flirting; it’s a snapshot of how we talk and connect. Oxford’s choice tells us to keep the spirit of light-hearted banter alive, bringing a touch of humor and charm into how we communicate. Language represents us, and after 2023, the hopes are high for the 2024 words of the year.
