Dictionary.com Chooses Its Word of the Year for 2026

Americans' apparent obsession with "maxxing" has made it Dictionary.com's 2026 Word of the Year, the BBC reports. The website says the word reflects a culture fixated on squeezing the most out of everything. The word—short for "maximizing"—can stand alone or be tacked onto almost any activity to signal you're pushing it to the limit.

Use of "maxxing" in digital media spiked nearly 19-fold in August compared with the 2025 monthly average, according to the site, which also weighed "affordability," "data center," "odyssey," and "unc" as word of the year contenders. Online, Gen Z users tout "proteinmaxxing," "sleepmaxxing," and especially "looksmaxxing," popularized by influencer Clavicular.

As ABC News notes, some also use it on its own, as in, "I'm maxxing everything." Lexicographer Steve Johnson says some people embrace the mindset, others parody it, and some "subvert it" by using it to describe deliberately stepping back. CBS News notes even the Trump administration has used it, referring to "homelandmaxxing" in certain messaging.