In announcing the word of the year, Dictionary.com also provided a definition: “’Maxxing’ refers to the practice of pursuing an activity to the fullest, or optimizing a certain aspect of your life. It’s used as a suffix as well as a standalone word, embodying our modern obsession with doing everything to the max.”
“Maxxing” reflects the culture in which we live: Everything must be overly productive. Now, it’s no longer sufficient to eat well, exercise with some modicum of regularity, enjoy an evening of needlepoint, perfect a sourdough bread recipe or read for pleasure. Each one of those things has been engineered for maximum productivity, whether that means turning one’s kitchen into a cottage bakery, launching an Etsy shop or building a massive online following highly invested in before-and-after transformation photos.
