The word of the year from Dictionary.com – Maxxing.

It’s not what it meant in the olden days when I was a verified Valley Girl – like, oh my god, cool. It’s sort of the same, but there’s more technology now, therefore more meaning, therefore we’re maxxed. Get it?

Dictionary.com reports choosing “maxxing,” (short for maximizing) as the word of the year after analyzing searches online, social media trends and news stories. They call it a trendy term. Just like “to the max” was, I think?

“Maxxing” can be used as a noun, verb, adjective and adverb. You can use it at the end of a word, like “healthmaxxing”, I’m taking my vitamins, going to the gym and eating right; or “cozymaxxing”, I’m sitting by the fire with my nice warm sweater and my hot chocolate; or “sleepmaxxing”, which frankly escapes this insomniac. The site says the word popped for them as the annual term because it was everything, everywhere, all the time.

Some of the runners up: affordability, data center, odyssey and weirdly: unc. It’s not what you think, at least what I thought. It’s short for uncool. It actually started out as an abbreviation for uncle, but those darn Gen Z’ers and Alphas started to use it to insult people, as one does, like the whole, let’s get down on the boomers, with “Ok Boomer”… and so unc, because we’re apparently running out of time to speak.

Maxxing is something of an oxymoron in the year 2026. Tarriffs, wars, wars ending and starting, elections that flipped our imaginations and hopes for calmer times ahead. Frankly, I’d like less maxxing and more minning (short for minimal. You’re welcome ;)) 

We can all use some rest because I’m starting to become delulu, aren’t you?