# Dictionary.com's 'maxxing' pick

Pop culture · Heat 3.8 / 10 · 2 shows · 7m airtime

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.

Page: https://boilpoints.com/point/dictionary_coms_maxxing_pick_1185916168

## Segments

- [Global News Podcast](https://boilpoints.com/u/globalnewspodcast), 2026-10-27, 27:46 to 29:57: **Traces maxxing to tabletop min-maxing**. Covers Dictionary.com's pick and hands the etymology to a linguist, who traces 'maxxing' to 1970s tabletop min-maxing and TikTok around 2022-23, and calls the award itself mostly a marketing event. New angle: 'Maxxing' dates to 1970s tabletop min-maxing and hit the mainstream on TikTok around 2022-23.
- [Morning Brew Daily](https://boilpoints.com/u/morningbrewdaily), 2026-10-27, 19:17 to 24:03: **Walks through the maxxing pick and finalists**. Walks through Dictionary.com's pick of 'maxxing' as 2026 word of the year, the looksmaxxing usage surge behind it, the other finalists, and the word's lineage from game theory and D&D min-maxing, plus Sprout Social's 'lore' and Kalshi odds on Merriam-Webster. New angle: Dictionary.com named 'maxxing' its 2026 word of the year, with looksmaxxing usage up more than 1,000% since January.