The Oxford Dictionary has selected “Goblin Mode” as the word of the year, for 2022. It was one of the three options that Oxford lexicographers chose, the other two being “Metaverse,” and “#IStandWith”.
This is the first time Oxford University Press (OUP) is choosing a word for the year through public voting. The phrase Goblin mode triumphed, by winning 318,956 votes which are 93% of the total. “Metaverse” came second and “#IStandWith” third. These three terms were picked by lexicographers at Oxford University Press, and more than 340,000 English speakers from across the world voted.
The Oxford English Dictionary’s publishers, state that the slang term ‘goblin mode’ describes a behavior that is “unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations” — traits that may have become familiar to many during the lockdown.
Goblin mode
According to OUP, the phrase was originally used in 2009. But, just recently it became popular on social media. It gained attention after a false headline said that Julia Fox and the musician known as Kanye West broke up because she “went goblin mode.”As Covid lockdown rules loosened in several nations and individuals began leaving their homes more frequently, the phrase then gained popularity over the next months, according to the OUP.
On TikTok, the hashtag #goblinmode is frequently used as a form of trend-buckling which is all about being the best version of yourself, which includes getting up early to exercise, going through elaborate skincare routines, and sipping organic green smoothies along with posting about all of this on social media.
Given the year we’ve just had, “goblin mode” speaks to all of us who are currently experiencing some kind of overwhelm. it’s a relief to recognize that we’re not always the polished, idealised versions of ourselves that we’re urged to display on our Instagram and TikTok, Casper Grathwohl, president of Oxford Languages stated
The psychological trickery known as “gaslighting,” which aims to make someone doubt their own beliefs, was named Merriam-Webster’s word of the year last week. The Oxford word of the year 2021 was “vax” and Merriam-Webster’s chosen word was “vaccine.”
