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It’s that time of the year again, when Words of the Year are selected to represent the most important term or expression in the public sphere.
First out of the gate is Dictionary.com. Following their pick of “6-7” last year, the online dictionary has chosen another Gen Z / Gen Alpha slang term by announcing its 2026 Word of the Year as “Maxxing”.
Short for “maximizing,” the term “can be used on its own or added to the end of any word to convey you’re doing something to the fullest or optimizing it as much as possible,” according to Dictionary.com.
The term’s origins can be drawn back to the expression “maxing out a credit card” (exceeding assigned credit limit) and video game culture.
In the 2010s, it spread throughout manosphere and incel subcultures via the term “looksmaxxing”, which means to maximise phycial attractiveness through fitness routines and physical grooming. It was usually used in the context of failed relationships and romantic rejection.
The term grew more popular with the rise of controversial manosphere influencers like Braden Peters, aka: Clavicular – the livestreamer promoting extreme devotion to male beauty who was accused of sexually assaulting a young woman in 2025. He pleaded not guilty last week.
Many have attempted to move the term away from its toxic reputation and its associations with aggressive masculinity. It has been embraced by Gen Z and Gen Alpha on social media, with searches for the word exploding in August.
“Maxxing is the linguistic manifestation of a culture increasingly preoccupied with getting the most out of everything,” according to Steve Johnson, director of lexicography for the Dictionary Media Group at IXL Learning.
“Whatever we’re doing, we want to push it further,” said Johnson in a statement. “But its expanding uses also reveal how people are responding to that impulse. Some embrace it. Some exaggerate it for laughs. Others subvert it entirely to describe stepping back from the relentless pursuit of more.”
He added: “This year, maxxing stood out because it really connects to so many different parts of life. People are proteinmaxxing their breakfast, tokenmaxxing their use of AI during the workday, cozymaxxing on a Friday night.”
Other variations of maxxing are the likes of “hardmaxxing” (extreme dieting, facial reconstruction surgery or even bone smashing), “softmaxxing” (similar to the term “glow-up” – a new haircut, for example) or “jestermaxxing” (using humour to gain social acceptance or clout) and “sleepmaxxing” (increasing one’s quantity and quality of sleep).
However popular the term may be, there’s no escaping the rather depressing implications of this word, how it reflects an increasingly online society, and its expanded connotations. Case and point with “tokenmaxxing”, referring to businesses encouraging employees to use AI tools as much as possible.
Other words that were shortlisted for Dictionary.com’s 2026 Word of the Year include “Affordability”; “Data center”; “Odyssey” (a choice no doubt fuelled by the explosion in online searches and interest in Homer following the release of Christopher Nolan’s hit blockbuster The Odyssey); and “Unc” – the shortened version of “uncle,” used by Gen Z and Gen Alpha to describe an older person who is seen as out of touch or uncool.