What Does Rizz Mean?
Rizz is your ability to charm, attract, and seduce someone — primarily through conversation and charisma rather than looks alone. If someone has rizz, they can talk their way into anyone's heart. It's essentially "game" repackaged for Gen-Z.
There are levels to it: you can have rizz (some game), W rizz (winning game — the good kind), or L rizz (losing game — you're fumbling). And if you have unspoken rizz? You don't even need to talk. Your mere presence does the work.
Where Did Rizz Come From?
Rizz was coined (or at least popularized) by YouTuber and Twitch streamer Kai Cenat around 2021. It's widely believed to be derived from "charisma" — take out the middle and you get something close to "rizz." Kai used it naturally in streams, his audience picked it up, and it spread like wildfire.
In 2023, Oxford University Press named "rizz" its Word of the Year. From Twitch streams to the actual dictionary. That's a speedrun, bestie.
How to Use Rizz
- Complimenting: "He has insane rizz — she was laughing at everything he said."
- Self-deprecating: "My rizz is nonexistent. I said 'you too' when the waiter said enjoy your meal."
- As a verb: "Watch me rizz her up." (to rizz someone up = to charm them)
- Types: "That's not rizz, that's L rizz. She literally walked away."
Examples in the Wild
"this man's rizz is so powerful he got a number at the DMV. the DMV."
"my rizz is typing a perfect message and then accidentally sending it to the wrong person"
Why It Matters
Rizz reframed attraction around personality and charm rather than just appearance, which is honestly kind of wholesome? In a dating culture dominated by photos and first impressions, rizz celebrates the art of conversation. It's proof that how you talk to someone still matters. Maybe more than ever.