On 3 November 2026, the British Collins Dictionary announced \u00abmogging\u00bb as its Word of the Year. This youth slang term means to conspicuously outshine or outdo someone in terms of appearance, confidence, style or achievements. According to the dictionary\u2019s compilers, the frequency of use of the term rose by 210% during 2026. This was reported on the official Collins website and by the Associated Press.<\/p>\n
Mogging<\/a> \u2014 this is a situation where one person stands out so much against the background of another that they effectively overshadow them. Most often, this refers to appearance, physical fitness, dress sense or self-confidence.<\/p>\n For example, if someone looks much more striking than the others in a group photo, social media users might say that they\u2019ve \u00aboutshone\u00bb them.<\/p>\n However, the modern meaning of the word is not limited to physical appearance. It is also used when a new video game surpasses its predecessor, an athlete achieves exceptional results, or someone outperforms their competitors.<\/p>\n Nowadays, the term is mainly used in jest, sometimes as a compliment and sometimes with irony.<\/p>\n According to the director, Collins Alexa Bickroft<\/strong>, the choice of this word illustrates how younger generations are influencing the development of the English language.<\/p>\n He noted that Generation Z<\/a> and Alfa turned the term into a humorous slang expression, giving it a new meaning.<\/p>\n The term first came into use around 2016 in communities dedicated to bodybuilding and fitness.<\/p>\n It is thought to derive from the abbreviation AMOG \u2014 Alpha Male of the Group<\/em>, which translates as \u00abalpha male of the group\u00bb.<\/p>\n Originally, this term was used to describe a man who was physically dominant over others, for example because of his height, muscles or athletic build.<\/p>\n The term subsequently spread across online forums and communities where people discussed male appearance and attractiveness.<\/p>\n It has become particularly popular amongst fans of luxmaximising (looksmaxxing<\/em>) \u2014 an online trend whose followers aim to improve their appearance as much as possible through personal care, exercise and other practices.<\/p>\n Over time, the word spread beyond these communities. In TikTok<\/a>, Instagram<\/a> and on other social media platforms, people started using it to compare just about anything.<\/p>\n Every year, Collins Dictionary analyses changes in the English language and identifies the words that best reflect social trends.<\/p>\n To this end, experts use the Collins Corpus, which contains around 27 billion words from various sources, including social media.<\/p>\n In addition to mogging, the 2026 shortlist included:<\/p>\nWhere does the word \u2018mogging\u2019 come from?<\/h2>\n
Which other words made it into the Collins ranking in 2026?<\/h2>\n
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