Why ‘maxxing’ was selected as Dictionary.com’s word of the year

A sharp rise in usage

Dictionary.com said it chose “maxxing” after reviewing US social media trends, news coverage and search data. The term appeared in digital media nearly 19 times more in August 2026 than its average monthly use in 2025.

The choice follows “demure” two years earlier and “67” last year. Other candidates this year included “affordability”, “data centre”, “odyssey” and “unc”, a shortened form of uncle.

Many ways to max out

Fitness and wellness influencers use variations such as “proteinmaxxing” and “fibermaxxing” for efforts to increase protein or fibre. People concentrating on improving their sleep habits call it “sleepmaxxing”. The word has a pop-culture history, too. In the opening song of the 1990s television series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Will Smith raps, “Chillin’ out, maxin’, relaxin’ all cool.”

More than relentless improvement

Johnson said the term reflects a desire to push activities further, but its expanding uses show different responses to that drive. Some people embrace the pursuit, while others use the word for humour or to describe stepping away from the pressure to do more.

Teacher Lauren Cella said that when a word reaches a dictionary, it has likely become widely established. She also praised young people’s use of such terms as a creative way to reshape grammar and share their goals.

Terms move between generations

That pattern helps explain why a word’s popularity can be brief even as its uses expand. “Maxxing” now covers both striving for more and, in some cases, poking fun at that impulse.