Authentic, panauti & more... The words that defined 2023

Do you have any rizz? Were you authentic in the year 2023? And were you in a situationship?

As we bid adieu to 2023, dictionaries declared their ‘words of the year’ offering a zeitgeist of 2023. While some were newsy, others were cultural. There were few more that were funny.

Let’s take a deeper look at the words that described the year 2023 and became a part of our everyday lexicon. Psst, we have got to say none of them raise any ‘beige flags’ for us.

Antisemitism

While we all know antisemistim and its meaning, it became, perhaps, the most talked about in 2023 following the 7 October Hamas attacks in Israel. The attack, which led to the deaths of 1,400 Israelis, has initiated a sequence of events that have left Jewish people around the world feeling threatened.

In fact, since the October incident, antisemitic incidents are on the rise the world over. In the United States, the Jewish advocacy group the Anti-Defamation League reported a 400 per cent rise in antisemitic incidents compared to the same period last year.

Also read: How Europe is cracking down on rising antisemitism

In Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also spoke of a “scary rise” in anti-Semitism, citing incidents at a Jewish high school in Toronto as well as escalating inflammatory language online. In Britain, the situation was no better, with a 14-fold increase reported. Similarly, Germany found a 240 per cent year-on-year increase in antisemitic incidents in the period of 7 to 15 October.

Let’s hope this ‘old kind of hate’ stays back in 2023 and we have a more tolerant and peaceful time in 2024.

Authentic

In the times of artificial intelligence and with the rise of depfakes, if there’s one word that resonated loudly, it was authentic. And Merriam Webster’s dictionary agrees with us.

As the dictionary’s editor at large Peter Sokolowski said: “We see in 2023 a kind of crisis of authenticity.

“What we realise is that when we question authenticity, we value it even more.”

The word truly became a part of 2023, owing to its multiple meanings – from ‘not false or imitation’ to ‘true to one’s own personality, spirit, or character’. The word authentic became even more popular as the line between real and fake became increasingly blurred. And it’s an undeniable fact that the AI boom helped in boosting this word’s popularity.

Even celebrities such as Taylor Swift, Elon Musk and Prince Harry spoke of the need to be authentic in words and deeds. And who can argue with Tay Tay, perhaps, the most popular personality of 2023.

Barbenheimer

If there is one thing we should celebrate about 2023, it is Barbenheimer. A portmanteau of two of Hollywood’s biggest releases of the year – Barbie by Greta Gerwig and Oppenheimer by Christopher Nolan – Barbenheimer emerged in July and quickly turned into a cultural phenomenon.

And The Barbenheimer name really took off. Posters and T-shirts were mocked up with images of what a Barbenheimer movie might be like. People shared their plans to see the bombshell and the A-Bomb as a double bill, with much discussion of which order to see them in, what to wear, which cocktails to drink, and what the accompanying snacks should be.

Barbenheimer also breathed life into America’s economy – not only did the movies generate box office earning of more than $2.3 dollars but also brands piggybacked off this to earn huge profits.

Beige Flag

The year 2023 also saw the emergence of several terms in the dating world and one of the most popular ones was beige flag. The term gathered pace on TikTok and soon became a part of everyday life.

But what is a beige flag? For those who latched on to it, a beige flag is an odd trait in a romantic prospect that is not quite a deal breaker, but not exactly a plus, either. As Pallavi Barnwal, an intimacy and relationship coach, noted “Beige flags are softer, less alarming cousins of red flags. They are not as serious and can easily pass off as lovable nuisance in a relationship.”

So, what is your beige flag in your relationship?

Coffee Badging

In a post-COVID world (though infections are on the rise again), many companies made the pivot from remote work to a return to office. This mandatory return to the workplace led to a post-pandemic protest by employees in the form of coffee badging.

This practice, on the rise, involves briefly appearing, clocking in, grabbing a coffee, then vanishing back home to work remotely. As Frank Weishaupt, CEO of Owl Labs in Boston, explained to Fox News, “Coffee badging is when employees show up to the office for enough time to have a cup of coffee, show their face, and get a ‘badge swipe’, then go home to do the rest of their work.”

And employers aren’t happy with coffee badging. They complain that it disrupts the work culture and has also led to companies issuing ultimatums of firing employees who indulge in coffee badging.

Deepfake

The year 2023 saw the rise and rise of deepfakes. From pornography to politics, no sphere was untouched by deepfakes. In India, a string of deepfakes emerged of celebrities, including Rashmika Mandanna, Kajol and Katrina Kaif.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also raised the issue of deepfakes, saying it was one of the biggest threats faced by the country, and warned people to be careful with new technology amid a rise in AI-generated videos and pictures. “We have to be careful with new technology. If these are used carefully, they can be very useful. However, if these are misused, it can create huge problems. You must be aware of deepfake videos made with the help of generative AI,” the PM said.

And data reveals that deepfake videos have surged by 550 per cent, reaching a staggering 95,820, as revealed in the 2023 State of Deepfakes report by Home Security Heroes, a US-based organisation, which also identified India as the sixth most susceptible country to this emerging threat.

De-risking

We have all heard about decoupling (made famous by Gwyneth Paltrow), but in 2023, it was all about de-risking. That is Europe and the US trying to de-risk from China. In fact, at the end of the G7 Summit in Hiroshima, Japan, US president Joe Biden said: “We’re not looking to decouple from China. We’re looking to de-risk and diversify our relationship with China.”

But what is de-risking? According to the US State Department, said that de-risking was “the phenomenon of financial institutions terminating or restricting business relationships with clients or categories of clients to avoid, rather than manage, risk”.

Simply put, de-risking is to move business away from areas that are considered risky in terms of the returns they could generate.

And in the China context it means a reduction of the reliance on China in the economic sphere — for the supply of materials or as a market for finished goods — so that potential risks to trade and disruption of supply chains are reduced.

However, experts note that de-risking from China is easier said than done and most argue that Europe would struggle to de-risk from Beijing and Xi Jinping.

Global boiling

In July, UN secretary general António Guterres declared to the world, “The era of global warming has ended and the era of global boiling has arrived.” His statement had come shortly after 6 July was reported to have been the hottest day on Earth since mean global temperatures were first calculated in 1979.

The term, according to climate scientists, was to sensationalise and compel people to wake up to the reality of global warming and noted that it was not a scientific term.

For some, global boiling is a term to emphasise the more extreme and immediate consequences of global warming. As the Earth’s temperature rises, the world is experiencing extreme weather events, rising sea levels and other significant environmental changes.

Nepo Baby

Nepotism isn’t something new and we are all acquainted with the term. Karan Johar still mentions it on his show Koffee with Karan after he was accused by Kangana Ranaut of ‘being the flagbearer of nepotism’.

But in 2023, ‘nepo baby’ once again became a trending topic, as several children of celebrities made their debut in movies in Hollywood as well as Bollywood.

In the West, UK singer Noel Gallagher and American movie star Jamie Lee Curtis ignited the debate. The former speaking about his daughter, Anais – a budding photographer – said: “The whole nepotism thing, I mean it’s human nature to help your children out.

“She’s good at what she does, her photographs are really, really good and if she was terrible, I wouldn’t be doing it for the sake of it, because I think if you’re knowingly just giving your kids something to do and they’re not really good at it, I don’t think that’s very healthy.”

At home, Zoya Akhtar’s movie – The Archies – stoked the flames of the nepo debate. Starring Suhana Khan, daughter of Shah Rukh Khan, Khushi Kapoor, daughter of Sridevi and Boney Kapoor, Agastya Nanda, grandson of Amitabh Bachchan, among others, many called out the movie for the nepo kids and their lack of acting talent.

Panauti

When India lost the ICC 2023 World Cup finals, a billion hearts shattered and we were all grief-stricken. But for some that grief turned into anger when Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a rally in Rajasthan, referencing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said, “Panauti… panauti… Achha bhalaa hamare ladke wahaan World Cup jeetne waale the, par panauti harwaa diya. TV waale ye nahin kahenge magar janta jaanti hai (Our boys were going to win the World Cup, but panauti got them defeated. TV channels will not say this but the public knows).”

The Congress leader in his attempt to attack Modi said that it was the PM’s presence at the finals that led to our Men in Blue losing. He called the PM a panauti, which is commonly understood to be a word that means ill omen.

Soon, panauti became the buzzword. It went viral on Twitter and many BJP leaders and supporters thrashed the Gandhi scion for using such terminology for the PM.

Even the Election Commission took note of his remarks and issued him a showcause notice.

Rizz

For Oxford dictionary and us, rizz was one of the words of the year. A slang for charisma, it can be defined as style, charm, or attractiveness, and the ability to attract a romantic or sexual partner.

The word emerged out of internet and gaming culture and was popularized in 2022 by the YouTube and Twitch streamer Kai Cenat, who posted “rizz tips” videos online. It went viral in June 2023, after the actor Tom Holland, in an interview with Buzzfeed, said: “I have no rizz whatsoever. I have limited rizz.”

Situationship

The dating world is complicated and its lingo is even more complicated. Case in point, situationship. This term relates to being in less than a relationship, but more than a casual encounter. In short, it refers to a romantic relationship that is, and remains, undefined.

Psychotherapist and author Jonathan Alpert explained it succinctly, saying: “A situationship is that space between a committed relationship and something that is more than a friendship. Unlike a ‘friends with benefits’ relationship, there isn’t consensus on what it is.”

The term became a hot topic on social media with everyone voicing their opinions about the pros and cons of such a situation (no pun intended). But when asked, experts noted that while situationships can have their temporary benefits, they can quickly move into harmful territory if one partner starts to want more.

Sleep divorce

In 2023, light was thrown on the importance of sleep when the ‘sleep divorce’ trend went viral on social media. And what is this you ask: a sleep divorce is when a couple or partners sleep in separate beds, different rooms or even entirely different homes.

In fact, a recent survey from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine found that over one-third of couples now choose to sleep apart from their spouse.

And it even got thumbs-up from Cameron Diaz, who said in a recent podcast, “We should normalize separate bedrooms.”

Sportswashing

In 2023, Saudi Arabia spent billion and billion of dollars in the sports sphere – The Guardian has pegged it at $6.3 billion since 2021 – prompting many accusations of sportswashing. Critics say the large amounts of money being spent on sports, including the buying of football players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, is an effort to distract from its human rights record.

Sportswashing, which refers to the practice of using sports to improve a country or organisation’s image by investing in high-profile sporting events or teams, has been the focal point of discussion for many as the Saudi kingdom led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman continues the practice.

In fact, in a recent interview, he said that he did not care when he is accused of ‘sportswashing’. “If sportswashing is going to increase my GDP by one per cent, then we’ll continue sportswashing. I don’t care. I have one per cent growth in GDP from sport and I am aiming for another 1.5 per cent. Call it whatever you want – we are going to get that 1.5 per cent,” he said in an interview with Fox Sports.

And it seems he won’t stop. The country is all set to host the men’s 2034 FIFA World Cup after the Australian football federation declined to enter the bidding contest.

Swiftie

The year 2023, was dominated, by Taylor Swift. Haters may hate this, but it’s true. Her Eras tour has been unprecedented, earning her billions of dollars and even causing tremors.

And it’s because of this that the word Swiftie gained prominence, with even the Oxford dictionary naming it as one of the contenders for Word of the year.

According to them, the term ‘Swiftie’, meaning ‘an enthusiastic fan of the singer Taylor Swift’, seems to date from the late noughties and has been gradually growing in prominence. The dictionary also that the word was more than 10 times more common in September 2023 than a year before in September 2022, with a noticeable uptick in the use of the word likely related to coverage of Swift’s highly successful Eras tour.

And we have got to say, we may not be a Swiftie, but it will be hard to ‘Shake it off’.

PS: If you are looking for a recap of all things 2023, click here