Dictionary.com named 'maxxing' its 2026 Word of the Year on October 27, 2026, citing forms like looksmaxxing and sleepmaxxing. The suffix dates to min-maxing in 1970s tabletop role-playing games and reached the mainstream on TikTok around 2022 and 2023. Reporting since the announcement puts looksmaxxing usage up more than 1,000% since January. The discussion weighs whether the pick reflects a broader cultural drive toward optimization or is mostly a marketing event.