'Maxxing' chosen as Dictionary.com's word of the year
What's the story
Dictionary.com has chosen "maxxing" as its Word of the Year for 2026. The term, a shorthand for "maximizing," can be used alone or as a suffix to any word to indicate doing something to its fullest or optimizing it. The selection marks a stark contrast from two years ago, when "demure" was chosen after analyzing US social media trends, news stories, and search data.
Cultural impact
A linguistic manifestation
Steve Johnson, the director of lexicography for Dictionary Media Group, said "maxxing" is the linguistic manifestation of a culture increasingly preoccupied with getting the most out of everything.
The term's usage in digital media spiked nearly 19 times in August 2026 compared to its monthly average in 2025.
Other potential words considered for this year's selection included affordability, data center, odyssey and "unc," short for uncle.
Social media usage
Gen Z's obsession with maxxing
On social media, many Gen Z users and those under 30 extensively post about their maxxing efforts to achieve all sorts of perfection.
Influencers focused on fitness and wellness often use terms like "proteinmaxxing" and "fibermaxxing."
The term has also been adopted by those focusing on improving sleep habits, who call it "sleepmaxxing."
Influencer impact
Influencer's extreme looksmaxxing efforts
The influencer Clavicular has gained thousands of followers by documenting his extreme "looksmaxxing" efforts.
This involves meeting a set of prescribed criteria for attractiveness, with particular importance given to jawlines, eyes, and physique.
Johnson noted that while people want to push things further, some embrace this impulse while others exaggerate it for laughs or subvert it entirely by stepping back from the relentless pursuit of more.
Historical usage
Term has been around in different forms for decades
The term "maxxing" has been around in different forms for decades.
Will Smith famously rapped about maxin' and relaxin' in the opening song of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
Teacher Lauren Cella, a content creator known for her viral Gen Z history lessons, said she and her students have been using "maxxing" as a suffix for some time now.