Rizz
Charm; the knack for attracting someone.
- Origin: popularized 2021–22 by streamer Kai Cenat; Oxford Word of the Year 2023
- On the Slang-o-matic wheel: Gen Alpha (born 2013 and later). That is who the translator files it under, not a claim that this generation coined it.
What it means
Rizz is charm, especially the kind that helps you attract someone you like. Someone with rizz knows what to say and how to say it. Cambridge defines it as “the ability to attract people’s attention and make them like you, often in a romantic or sexual way.”
Dictionary.com says it is used the same way as the older slang term game, as in “he has no game.” It also works as a verb: to rizz someone up means, in Oxford’s words, “to attract, seduce, or chat up (a person).”
Where it comes from
The word is a shortening of charisma, and an unusual one: it keeps the middle of the word rather than the start. Oxford compares it to fridge from refrigerator and flu from influenza.
It came out of streaming and internet culture. Dictionary.com says the streamer Kai Cenat has used it “since at least 2021,” and Oxford says he is widely credited with popularizing it in 2022, before it spread on TikTok. Oxford reports that use peaked in June 2023, when the actor Tom Holland said in an interview, “I have no rizz whatsoever, I have limited rizz.” That December, Oxford named rizz its Word of the Year.
Who says it now
Oxford says the word is often associated with younger generations, especially teenagers. The translator lists it under Gen Alpha, next to clean, by its own convention; the word was popularized before most of Gen Alpha were teenagers.
Tone
Playful and a little cheeky. It is often about flirting, so it can sound awkward coming from a parent. Telling someone they have “no rizz” is usually a tease rather than a serious insult.
What adults hear, what kids mean
An adult might hear rizz as nonsense, or as more sexual than a kid intends. When a twelve-year-old says a friend “has rizz,” they may simply mean the friend is confident and charming, sometimes with a crush somewhere in the picture.
How to use it
You can have rizz, have no rizz, or rizz someone up. People also build phrases on it, such as unspoken rizz, which Oxford mentions, for charm that works without saying much.
Two examples, written by us:
- He walked over, said one sentence, and got her number. That is rizz.
- I tried to rizz up the barista and only managed to order the wrong coffee.
How to answer it
If a kid says you have no rizz, they are most likely teasing, and laughing it off is usually the best reply. If they say a friend rizzed someone up, “So what did he say?” will get you further than asking what the word means.
Same idea, other generations
The Slang-o-matic wheel files Rizz under Gen Alpha for the idea of looking good or being attractive. These are the words it files under the same idea, by generation. They are related, not always exact translations:
Related slang
- No cap (Gen Alpha): No lie, for real.
- Snatched (Gen Z): Looking perfectly put together.
- Slay (Gen Z): To do something brilliantly or look amazing.
Try the slang translatorAll slang by generation
Sources
Meanings and dates on this page come from these dictionaries. Each quote is copied word for word from the linked page.
- Oxford Languages (Oxford University Press)
“someone’s ability to attract another person through style, charm, or attractiveness”
“this term is from the middle part of the word ‘charisma’”
- Oxford University Press
“The American YouTube and Twitch streamer Kai Cenat is widely credited online with popularizing the word in 2022”
“we are pleased to announce that the Oxford Word of the Year 2023 is rizz”
- Cambridge Dictionary
“the ability to attract people's attention and make them like you, often in a romantic or sexual way”
- Dictionary.com Slang Dictionary
“Kai Cenat, who has used the term since at least 2021.”