Just a few weeks ago, the term "rizz" was being celebrated for its pop culture prominence, achieving iconic status as the Oxford English Dictionary's word of the year. But at the end of the day, its impact on modern language is actually cringe-worthy, say the folks at Michigan's Lake Superior State University.
The word — which Gen Zers have shortened from charisma and adopted to mean style, charm or the ability to attract a romantic or sexual partner — is one of 10 that appears on LSSU's 2024 Banished Words List, documenting what faculty says should be omitted from our collective vocabularies heading into the new year.
"This tradition highlights certain words that are often misused, overused, or have lost their meaning over the past year," Sheridan Worth, director of marketing at Lake Superior State University, said in a statement.
"It encourages us to laugh at ourselves as we reconsider and reflect on the importance of our vocabulary," Worth added.
Here's the full list of words and phrases, along with explanations for why they deserve to be eliminated from everyday conversation, according to LSSU:
The university received more than 2,000 nominations of verboten words from around the world, and while the majority came from the United States, submissions flooded in from as far away as Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Canada, China, Croatia, Germany, Guam, Ireland, Lebanon, Namibia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Singapore, Switzerland, Thailand, Uganda, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.
This year marks the second appearance of the word "iconic" on the annual list, which made its first appearance in 2009 — back when some might have used to describe President Barack Obama's inauguration, Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" or the moment Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift's during her VMA video acceptance speech.
Far from thinking of the list as a tool to curb expression, the experts said it is intended to celebrate language as a dynamic and ever-evolving entity; it "recognizes the rapid changes in expression, encouraging a reassessment of the impact and relevance of our vocabulary."
In a tongue-in-cheek explanation, Worth offered: "The tradition provides a lighthearted opportunity to pause and reflect on the past year — our experiences, communication styles, and the phrases we commonly use. At the end of the day, it serves as a platform for considering how we can progress into the new year with a more mindful approach to language."
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