GOBLIN MODE has been voted word of the year – Oxford Languages held an online vote in order to choose the word of 2022. The public favoured the expression ‘goblin mode’ as their word of the year.
Many people gravitated to the word this year after coming out of lockdowns. The word means to be ‘unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy’ – typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations.
Recalled that in April 2022, Elon Musk posted an image macro implicitly attributing his proposed acquisition of Twitter to him being in ‘goblin mode’.
The word first appeared on Twitter in 2009, goblin mode went viral on social media in February 2022.
It then quickly made its way into newspapers and magazines after being tweeted in a mocked-up headline.
The term then rose in popularity over the months following as Covid lockdown restrictions eased in many countries and people ventured out of their homes more regularly.
Seemingly, it captured the prevailing mood of individuals who rejected the idea of returning to ‘normal life’ or rebelled against the increasingly unattainable aesthetic standards and unsustainable lifestyles exhibited on social media.
Casper Grathwohl, president of Oxford Languages, said: ‘We were hoping the public would enjoy being brought into the process, but this level of engagement with the campaign caught us totally by surprise.
‘The strength of the response highlights how important our vocabulary is to understanding who we are and processing what’s happening to the world around us.
‘Given the year we’ve just experienced, “goblin mode” resonates with all of us who are feeling a little overwhelmed at this point. ‘It’s a relief to acknowledge that we’re not always the idealised, curated selves that we’re encouraged to present on our Instagram and TikTok feeds.
‘This has been demonstrated by the dramatic rise of platforms like BeReal where users share images of their unedited selves, often capturing self-indulgent moments in goblin mode.
‘People are embracing their inner goblin, and voters choosing “goblin mode” as the word of the year tells us the concept is likely here to stay.’
The word of the year is intended to reflect ‘the ethos, mood, or preoccupations of the past twelve months’.
For the first time this year’s winning phrase was chosen by a public online vote, from among three finalists selected by Oxford University Press lexicographers: goblin mode, metaverse and the hashtag IStandWith.
Despite being relatively unknown offline, goblin mode was the overwhelming favorite, winning 93 per cent of the more than 340,000 votes cast.
