‘Maxxing’ is Dictionary.com’s 2026 Word of the Year

Apparently, getting better at something now requires adding “maxxing” to its name. There’s sleepmaxxing, proteinmaxxing, looksmaxxing, and even cozymaxxing, because a night on the couch can apparently be optimized, too.

As of Oct 26, “maxxing” is Dictionary.com’s 2026 Word of the Year. The publisher describes it as:

“the practice of pursuing an activity to the fullest or optimizing a certain aspect of your life.”

The shorthand for “maximizing” can describe a serious self-improvement effort or a joke about doing very little. Its versatility has helped it spread across beauty, wellness, work, and everyday internet conversation.

Dictionary.com traces the term’s roots through “min-maxing,” a gaming strategy that involves developing a character’s strengths until their weaknesses matter less. Online communities eventually gave “maxxing” another “x” and an expanding list of things to work on.

One of its most recognizable forms is “looksmaxxing,” which focuses on improving physical appearance. But the template has spread into workplace conversations about “tokenmaxxing,” or using as much AI as possible, and lifestyle trends like “frictionmaxxing,” which implores you to “rethink your relationship to your device — and your humanity.” Increasingly, Dictionary.com says, people also use “maxxing” as a word on its own.

The dictionary recognition has been building, too. In September, Merriam-Webster added “looksmaxxing” among 1,400 new words and definitions, alongside “vibe-coding” and “cuffing season.”

The word’s history also goes beyond jokes about optimizing your bedtime. Looksmaxxing grew out of incel forums and sits within the broader manosphere, a network of online communities often associated with misogyny and rigid ideas about masculinity. Mashable has explored the subculture through its looksmaxxing glossary and coverage of its racist beauty standards and dehumanizing language about women.

One of looksmaxxing’s most recognizable figures is Braden Peters, better known as Clavicular, who shares appearance-focused (and often misogynistic) advice with millions of followers. While looksmaxxing can involve everyday grooming and skincare, its more extreme forms include crash dieting and “bone smashing” — striking facial bones in the unfounded belief that doing so will create a more defined face. There’s also “pheromone-maxxing,” which involves skipping showers, avoiding deodorant, or wearing unwashed clothes in the hope that a stronger natural scent will attract potential partners.

The concerns extend beyond physical injury. New Zealand’s Classification Office, for example, warns that some looksmaxxing content can encourage disordered eating, obsessive scrutiny of appearance, and feelings of hopelessness, while exposing viewers to misogynistic or extremist messaging. That history matters as the language becomes mainstream, even as people adopt “maxxing” for pursuits far removed from those communities.

What else made the shortlist?

Dictionary.com’s other finalists were “affordability” “data center,” “odyssey,” and “unc.” Its explanations, respectively, pointed to the cost of living, debates over AI infrastructure, Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, and slang for someone considered older or out of touch.

Together, the choices offer a recognizable portrait of 2026: money worries, AI everywhere, a major movie event, and, yes, slang with roots in incel forums.

If that all sounds exhausting, there’s always touching-grass-maxxing.